Game of the future
by TrunksIzayaBossKadoDRRRotaku
Summary: The stench of betrayal lingers in young Harry Potter's heart as he discovers the truth about his friends...he runs away, leaving his past and name behind; nine years pass and one strange Muggle by the name of Orihara Izaya is found by Severus, delivering an unwelcome message from the very world he sought to escape. The informant will not be used again. Dark Harry/ Psychopath Harry
1. Chapter 1 Creation of a demon

A/N:Used until his breaking point and betrayed by those he loves the most, Harry Potter snaps and the "golden boy" who-lived becomes someone much darker and more threatening. Oh, yeah, this is totally freaking original, you're probably thinking. Well, just shut up and read it, because I'm in no mood to deal with the BS people on this site seem to send me. I'm only doing this because I have an imagination and because I want to. I don't own Harry Potter or Durarara!, nor do I own the characters. I only own my plot and my own angered feelings. If I owned both, I would have Harry become a sociopath and be as down to earth as this version of him as possible. I have a comic going around Izaya's adventures on deviantart. You can find it there under my username Kamentantei. Second redo with some more details added. :D I wrote this when I was pissed off and it shows, huh? It's meatier.

* * *

_~ ""Minds that have withered into psychosis are far more terrifying than any character of fiction."_

― Christian Baloga, from goodreads/ com

"_"Psychopaths [make] the world go around...society [is] an expression of that particular sort of madness...I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn't? What if it is built on insanity?"-Jon Ronson_

Chapter 1: The death of righteousness

There was an isolated school in the center of Scotland known as Hogwarts. It was once one of the greatest schools for witches and wizards that taught magical children how to control their magic and taught them how to use it in daily life. Hogwarts was a rather haughty school, despite its many glaring flaws.

For one thing, the school had a rather nasty habit of hiring horrible, sadistic teachers who did nothing but bully children. One of these was one Severus Snape, and he especially took great delight in encouraging the Slytherin children to heckle, harass, and bully the "Golden" Boy of Gryffindor, Harry James Potter. He knew the boy was a kind-hearted, soft young man, and in a way, that infuriated him. He wanted the boy to be an arrogant ass like his father, but no, he was so kind and forgiving, that it poisoned the man's already blackened heart and made him long for the boy to suffer.

For another thing, the school had a bad habit of death and violence...in fact, the saddest thing was that no one was trying to quell it. In fact, the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, seemed to encourage it as well. He didn't care what happened to the students. The only thing he cared about was his power.

The malicious old man listened to his unwitting pawn spit out yet another sob story about how he was mistreated by his classmates today because of his name being put in the Goblet. He didn't care what the boy thought, nor much less what he did. The only thing that mattered to him above all else, was that Harry remained under his control.

Harry Potter had been a useful pawn in Dumbledore's plans from the day he'd been born, after all. He had been placed in the hands of Muggles who Dumbledore knew hated magical children and yet he just sat back and watched the boy suffer. Arabella Figg was concerned about his well-being, but he told her all about the so-called blood wards that protected young Harry. In truth, he had lied about that, just like he had lied to Harry about Slytherin being evil, about him having to die to defeat Voldemort.

How boring and tedious it was to hear the young man come in and tell him all this crap, over and over. He didn't even realize that Dumbledore had so much persuasion over him that he had made Harry as naive and easily trusting as possible. It was great, holding so much power over him.

"...Professor, aren't you going to punish Malfoy for badmouthing my father? He wouldn't stop!" Harry Potter, the sweet and innocent little prey, whimpered, like a fawn hiding in the bushes from a wolf who thirsted for its blood. His green eyes trembled with unshed tears.

Dumbledore licked his lips, secretly enjoying the boy's fear. It soothed him, somehow. "...Well, we'll have to wait for a while." He said, enjoying the lie that slipped out of his lips.

"A while...but why, Headmaster?" Harry exclaimed, very confused as to what was going on here.

"Well, you see Harry, your name has been entered in that cup. Therefore, you must take part in it, regardless of whether or not you want to. Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley will obviously agree with me there. Go and consult in your friends."

Harry bowed his head. Regardless of what he thought, Dumbledore obviously knew what was best for him. "Yes, Headmaster...I'll agree with what you want me to do." He said softly.

'Good, good,' Dumbledore thought, upon seeing the boy leave. Little did he realize the events that would unfold would unleash an even greater monster than any had ever seen before...for young Harry Potter would evolve into a much more sadistic individual...one whose insane lust for knowledge and power would lead him to forsake any morals he had once possessed.

When Harry returned to his dormitory, he was surprised to see that Ron and Hermione were nowhere in sight. They were not waiting for him. His heart dimmed. He knew Ron wasn't talking to him because of the whole incident that had happened hours ago...but to think Hermione, too...wait, he could hear their voices from over there.

"...Ron, I'm telling you, we can't keep this up any longer. I'm tired of doing this. How much longer will we have to pretend to like him? You and I both know that he is our friend." Hermione sounded distressed.

"...I hate him. Don't tell me you like him now."

"...I will tell him everything. He needs to know." Hermione said, sounding angry. Angry, about what...?

He eagerly smiled and ran over to see them, only to realize that they both didn't look happy to see him. Ron grimaced, and Hermione's eyes were filled with unshed tears.

"H-Harry...I need to tell you something...something I should have told you from the start. You need to know..." She began, but Ron cut her off.

"Shut up, Mione. I'll talk first." Ron said, "Hello there, traitor." Ron muttered.

Harry's eyes widened.

"T-Traitor? Why would I be a traitor?" He cried out.

"You put your name in that cup on purpose," Ron spat.

"I did not!" Harry snapped.

"Ron, stop it!" Hermione snapped. "This arguing will get us nowhere. Let's-"

Before either Harry or Hermione could react...Ron grabbed his wand...and hit Harry with it. Blood streamed down his head as the young boy fell to the ground, bleeding. He thought he could hear a scornful voice saying, "Now he's bleeding on the floor? He's going to whine about that, too, Ron. Good job."

* * *

When Harry woke, he was in the hospital and Madam Pomfrey was staring at him in worry. "Your head has been badly bruised and you might have suffered a concussion," She said. "You'll need to stay in here for quite a while."

"It hurts to even talk," Harry mumbled, and she gave him a sympathetic look as he drifted off into a dreamless sleep. He woke to hear voices, soft voices. He didn't know how early it was, but he supposed it was the morning, for how quiet they sounded.

"But, Albus, we can't just send him back to his relatives with an injury like this. He has to stay in St. Mungo's," Minerva McGonagall argued. Harry smiled, good old McGonagall. She was always there for him, even if she didn't show it.

"This is the best thing for young Mr. Potter. It's apparent that his mind has suffered from Mr. Weasley's attack, but he should be able to recover from it," Dumbledore said, though he sounded oddly cold and distant, not the gentle old man that Harry knew. "You and I both know about the blood wards."

"You must be joking, Albus!" McGonagall said. "Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger have been asking to see him. I'll bring them in."

"Professor Dumbledore, thank goodness we can talk to you. I'm so glad he's unconscious. Harry is such an annoying, egotistical pain-in-the-ass. He thinks the entire world has to play his own twisted games. To think we have to put up with someone as useless and annoying as he is! I'd rather have died by that troll's hand than live around someone as infantile and stupid as him. Not to mention thanks to Ron, the entire plan has been screwed up," Hermione's voice said, though she sounded distant and cold, too. Not the Hermione he knew. Why?

Harry felt himself quivering. This had to be some sort of cruel joke.._.there was no way they could do this to him_. No way...

"What should we do? Should we keep pretending until there's no more time for him?" Ron said scathingly.

Harry felt cold hatred rise up in him. 'Humans...are they all _really_ this disgustingly selfish and hypocritical? If that's so...then I don't wish to be one anymore. I wish to be above their selfish, self-centered ways. Screw them. I'm tired of this magical world, expecting me to solve all their problems...they can deal with them on their own...'

The next day, Harry Potter was nowhere to be found. He had somehow run away and what was even more frightening to Dumbledore was that his wand was lying on the hospital bed, snapped in half with red leaking out of it. There was a small note. It read,

_"Go ahead and play your little twisted games with the world, Old Man. You have won this round...the Wizarding World is yours, and will meet its untimely end by the hands of fate and your arrogance will prove to be your doom. I do not care about Voldemort anymore, nor the Dursleys. I am going somewhere you will never find me. I have had enough of this miserable little world called the Wizarding World. At first, it was like a dream come true, and then I realized it was really just a nightmarish world. I've had enough and I'm leaving. Enjoy your pathetic little world while it lasts. After all, you humans really are something else. Wouldn't you agree, Ron and Hermione, traitors who only pretended to be my friends? All you wanted was for me to be a tool. Well, guess what? I won't play that game anymore. You won't find me, so give up. Enjoy your destiny. This life ceased to become extraordinary the moment I realized it was all a lie. May you burn in hell, Dumbledore, for making my waking life living hell. Goodbye.~ P.S. I won't miss you."_

_-Signed, Harry Potter, the former "Golden" boy_

Dumbledore ripped the note in two, burning with rage. "We must find Mr. Potter at once!" He cried. But no matter where they looked, they could not find him. For Harry Potter had thrown away his old life and traded it for a newer, darker one...one that would warp him forever.

* * *

Nine Years Later, in Japan

Somewhere, two figures loomed up on a roof. The first was a woman and the second was a man who was looking at her in deep amusement.

"Hmm...how interesting. You threw away all of that, your home, your friends, and your life, just to save your lover and he ran off with someone else. How very sad," He said before chuckling darkly, and running a hand through his unkempt hair.

The woman near the man shuddered at the coldness and lack of empathy in his tone. The young man drew nearer, his grin widening into a predatory smirk. "So, why don't you give it up? Don't you have the urge to kill yourself, Ms. Melodrama? Just end it right here. I can watch as you do it. It'll be fun," He whispered, enjoying her look of fright, "Ah, if you like, I could even film it and upload it to the Internet, so that way everyone can see you die! Would that be more preferrable?" He chirped.

"But, Mr. Kamine-" The woman begged, unable to believe her savior was like this.

The man rolled his eyes. "Kamine is just an alias, you idiot. Honestly, why would you think that was my real name? My real name is..." He started to say, but froze as a familiar visitor parked behind them. It was a rider wearing a yellow helmet. The driver said nothing, just stared at them both. For a few moments, none of them reacted.

"It's the headless rider!" The woman shrieked as she ran in terror, leaving the young man alone and away from enjoying his game. The young man sighed and put his hands in his pockets as the rider approached.

Now one could get a better look at him. The young man seemed to be in his early twenties, with a handsome complexion and messy hair that seemed untamed and natural. The man wore long dark slacks and a fur jacket that was quite sleek and spoke of someone who had a lot of money on their hands. He turned to regard the rider with a mixture of amusement and irritation.

"Do you _always _have to ruin my chances of having fun?" The man said out loud.

The figure whipped out a phone and typed, 'Fun is _not_ torturing young women and then murdering them. Don't you have any empathy at all?'

" Honestly, you have no sense of humor, courier." The man pouted, running his fingers through his spiky black hair. His eyes were red; contacts, actually, to hide his real eye color, and he had covered over his scar with some helpful surgery.

The figure typed something again. 'What do _you_ get out of doing this?'

The young man blinked as he read it. "Hm...what do I get? I get the thrill of tasting revenge. Humans are such interesting beings, aren't they? But it's not like that young woman would have survived her fall with something silly and primitive like magic. But let me assure you that magic does not exist. I'm an atheist for that reason. It's nothing but superstition." The man spat, his grin widening into a predatory smirk. Now he looked more like a wolf ready for its prey.

The figure shook its head in exasperation and then typed out something else. 'So, if you don't believe in magic, what do you believe in?'

"Why bother asking me stuff like that, courier, when you haven't even told me anything about what makes you you?" The man pointed out, sighing and sticking his hands in his pockets.

The figure blinked and then wrote something else that the man was amused by.

'So, _Orihara Izaya,_ what does that make you? I mean, who are you, really?' The figure typed.

Izaya's grin widened. "Why don't you try to guess who I am, biker? It'd be fun. Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have business, so let's talk again some other time," He said before childishly waving goodbye and running off.

Before he left, however, he stood on the rooftop, alone. The biker had long departed, allowing Izaya to catch a break for once. He looked up at the moon, which was full and oh-so-interesting and unique. He had always been interested in the sky, even as a child.

"...It certainly has been a while, hasn't it? I mean...time has slipped by, ever so quickly...it's hard for even _me _to believe that nine years have passed by...nine years," He mumbled quietly, playing with the ring on his finger. "Nine long years...since that _idiot died."_

He started to chuckle under his breath and then before he knew it, he was laughing out loud, at the top of his lungs; laughing a demented and cold laugh that sent chills of fear rippling down on the people who lived below where the young man was standing. They knew _just who was there, but could do nothing about it. _

"THAT'S RIGHT! THAT'S RIGHT NOW...IT'S BEEN NINE GODDAMNED YEARS SINCE THAT STUPID LITTLE BOY KNOWN AS THE SAVIOR, HARRY POTTER, HAS LEFT THIS WORLD, NEVER TO RETURN AGAIN! THAT'S RIGHT, AND I...I, IZAYA ORIHARA, HAVE REPLACED THAT STUPID FOOL! HA HA HA HA HA, I LOVE THIS FREEDOM AND I LOVE THIS GODDAMNED CITY! I LOVE THE HUMANS SO MUCH! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"

As Izaya continued to laugh insanely, a sudden noise made him pause in his laughing spree and he didn't even turn around; merely inclined his head a little, and then he saw it. A dark figure was cowering near the edge of the roof, watching him. He thought he was oh so good at hiding, but Izaya had known from the start that he'd been followed.

He blinked as he caught a glimpse of greasy black hair. 'Hmm...so _he followed me here, hmm? _Well, then...I suppose I'll return home and let him come back to me, so I can play my little game with him.'

* * *

Izaya Orihara smirked as he sat in his office...nine years...nine, blissful years of being away from that pathetic hellhole of a world. He loved every moment of this freedom. The young innocent idiot known as Harry Potter was dead, and the manipulative, ruthless Izaya Orihara rose from the ashes to take his place. He was not about to lose the gang war yet. All he needed was some time, and...he blinked.

"You can come out now, Severus. We're alone," He said softly, not allowing the grin to fall off his face.

He didn't even need to look up at the figure who came closer to him, looking him over. It was a man he knew better than any other. "So, _how'd _you find me, clever Severus-kun?" He taunted, every word sounding like an insult, which it was meant to be. He put his head on his left hand, staring at him in utter amusement, an act that unnerved the wizard before him.

Severus took in the young man grinning at him. He could hardly believe his eyes. That was the face of James Potter's progeny...but only by a little bit. Still had the same black hair...but the black hair was shaggier, in need of a cut, and spikier than he remembered. The face...the face was completely different, more Asian in appearance.

The young man had no glasses at all...and there was no sign of the lightning-bolt scar that should be tacked up there for all to see. Most alarming of all, however, was Severus's observation that the young man didn't have green eyes, but rather red. The air around him was utterly different; it wasn't kind and submissive. It was irritatingly condescending and mocking. Just like James...he curled his upper lip, wondering when the stupid boy would quit his games.

The cold man glared at the insolent young man in front of him. "Mr. Potter...it has indeed been a while. Albus wishes for you to return to Hogwarts immediately." As usual, he was curt and snappish. The boy's reaction was not what he was expecting...he had no reaction. You could have just as easily told him the house was on fire and he would still have a taut expression intact.

Izaya blinked. "Come again? I'm afraid I don't~ quite catch your meaning."

"You must come back to your world," Severus repeated.

The young man blinked, and then he started to laugh hysterically, a demented laugh that sent chills down Severus's spine. He just continued to laugh insanely until he stopped, and said with a wide grin on his face, "You crack me up. You honestly crack me up. But then again, aren't you wizards always such senile, predictable old fools? Severus-kun, you're still the same old anal-retentive asshole that I remember you as. Nothing much has changed with time, eh?"

"What happened to your accent?" Severus said coldly, not at all amused by his behavior.

"It changed...I learned Japanese, Russian, and many other languages...and before I knew it, it changed. I now consider myself a Japanese," The young man said before stretching his feet out on the desk and yawning. "Could you kindly leave? I think Miss Namie Yagiri-san would like her desk back." He said, beckoning to the irritated-looking brunette beside him who looked infuriated at the sight of Potter...or was he Harry Potter?

"Who the hell is he, _Orihara_?" She spat, very much annoyed at the idea that the kid was both taking up her office and bringing in strangers.

"Watch your tone, muggle," Severus said, reaching in his pocket for his wand...but...

"Uh-uh-uh, no waving that stick in here. We are past the Stone Ages, Severus-kun. We even have invented shampoo. Would you like to try some?" The man said before cackling loudly.

"Mr. Potter, you will return. That is final," He said, losing his patience.

"I no longer go by that name, Severus-kun. My name is Izaya Orihara, information broker. Kindly escort him out, Yagiri-san," Izaya said before running his hands through his untidy black hair.

"You must. It's a request from Dumbledore."

"Here's _my _request: he and all of his muggle-hating, idiotically backwards-thinking people can all go to hell. I no longer care about that place anymore. Ta-ta, Severus-kun! Hopefully you'll become less of an asshole! So long, Snivellus!" Izaya cried, cackling again upon hearing Severus grunt in frustration.

"Who the hell was that, Orihara? And who was he looking for?" Namie asked.

"I don't know. Some crazy person."

"You mean like the one in my office?" Namie snarked.

"I don't know...you decide," Izaya said before yawning loudly. "I'll be headed home now..."

And so, Izaya headed home, whistling to himself, scaring the hell out of any random passersby he met. A mugger lurked near, figuring he was the perfect target, and reached out to grab his wallet from his fur jacket.

"Give me your money and cash, rich guy. Cooperate and I'll let you live," He hissed.

Izaya smirked and grabbed his switchblade out of his pocket. "Really now...? I think you don't understand who I am."

"Arrogant little punk-"

"Ah, ah, ah. Now you don't want to rob _me, do you?" He said, _turning around so the mugger could see his face. The reaction was hysterical. The man paled and backed away.

"...You're that information broker...Izaya Orihara! I'm so sorry...I had no idea..." He whined.

"...Ah, should I let you go? How about I give you something to remember me by?" He sang, as he aimed his switchblade right at the mugger and cut his jacket.

The terrified mugger ran away, scared out of his wits.

* * *

"Did you find him, Severus?" Albus asked.

Severus shook. "No...he is dead. Harry Potter is dead." 'He's dead...replaced with a psycho...a psychotic man called Izaya Orihara.' He repeated the words to himself in his mind.


	2. Chapter 2 Discovered

**A/N:Wow, 124 follows and 116 favorites? That's impressive. I love you humans all so, so much~ Has anyone else noticed how screwed up the perception of "love" in DRRR is? Saika wants to enslave people, Izaya wants to toy with people, Shinra is _using_ Celty, Mika is a stalker, Seiji is obsessed with a head, Masaomi pines for a girl who doesn't want him...there is no normal human in DRRR, that much is for sure. But then again, does HP have normal humans? Dumbles manipulates Harry because he claims to "love" him, Severus "loves" Lily, but loves to bully Harry, Petunia loves Dudley but hates Harry, Marge loves her dogs, but hates everyone else, etc. Izaya won't die for the WW, he has no interest in them anymore.**

** JamesK19, yes and no. **

**Izaya snapped his wand in half, hence his link to it was severed, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't possess magic (his super speed and skill with a knife) he just prefers to live the life of a muggle after seeing the corruption of the Wizarding World. Transfer his money from Gringotts? No, I've seen the cliched Harry the Goblin King, then he owns Walmart, Pepsi, etc, etc, too much. I don't want to sink into cliches. Oh, and some other people are gonna find Izaya is Harry. They're two people you won't expect. That's all. Now, on to the chapter and enough of this long-ass A/N. Being edited a bit~  
**

* * *

**Two The man who created the demon**

A lot of people tended to say that old age brought about wisdom and intelligence. There was always a common saying that you should always respect people older than you, and that they should be called upon for everything, because they_ always_ knew what was best for everybody. The same could be held for the Wizarding World, where the residents had become almost senescent, they almost never aged. They hardly, if ever died, due to the fact that there were things like the Philosopher's Stone handy, and perhaps attesting to this, there was not a great value placed on the young people, and their opinions didn't really matter.

What mattered most to them was tradition, the old way of doing things. If an old person told a wizard or witch to do something, they would do it. However, out of all the people in the Wizarding World who were the most important, there was no one who was as avidly adulated and worshipped as the "great" wizard, Albus Dumbledore. Not only was he the head of the Wizengamot, and a bunch of other positions that were absolutely meaningless to him, but not to other people. He was seen as the savior, more so than Harry Potter had ever been.

The Wizarding World was glad that the troublemaking pain in the behind was gone. He had brought nothing but grief and heartache upon their world.

Though, as to what happened to one Harry Potter, no one except one Severus Snape actually knew. The boy had simply disappeared in his fourth year after being selected for the Triwizard Tournament. Not even the great Albus Dumbledore was able to locate his pawn. He had gone to the Dursleys and asked them, and when they hadn't known, he had just Obliviated their memories of Harry. If the boy was gone, his pawns weren't needed; the last thing he needed were Muggles who knew of the existence of wizards. After all, the only reason the Muggles existed was to be test subjects for the Wizarding World.

Naturally, power had corrupted Albus Dumbledore, and it had changed him from the once gentle man he had been into a very cold and cruel person. He didn't care about what happened to Harry Potter. As long as his pawn did what he was supposed to do and kill Voldemort, then Dumbledore could truly show the world what 'evil' was. He was very, very, very, dissatisfied with the way the past few years had gone. Without Harry Potter, the "evil" Voldemort had gathered even more followers in his quest for power, all the while not suspecting that he was just a little puppet being used by Albus.

His whole plan was screwed up because that damned boy had disappeared. He could not find the boy.

Sure, he may have had his suspicions, after all, but Albus knew _all. _That was why he was frustrated with the fact that knowing that the boy was gone-the useful pawn he could not raise like a pig for the slaughter-he was gone, and he would not find him again. But he suspected that Severus knew something, for he had sent him to find the boy. And yet, whenever he had come back, Severus had seemed scared out of his wits, almost as if he had met a demon, the devil himself.

Frowning, he smiled then as two figures appeared in a flash of Floo: newlyweds, Ron and Hermione Weasley, nee Granger.

"Have you found him yet?" Dumbledore asked.

A look of regret tore across Hermione's face. "No, I haven't found Harry."

"Good riddance," Ron said, "He was nothing but an egotistical scumbag, anyway. Not like we need him."

"Harry is necessary for this war, so no matter what treatment we put him through, he'll undoubtedly come back. Don't worry," Dumbledore said confidently, "It never stopped him from saving us before."

Ron just smirked. Ron was the easiest pawn for Albus to control, but that was because he was an idiot, and easy to use. He was greedy for power. Actually, Ron was a little regretful over the fact that he had betrayed his friend, but he had just found the boy to be too egotistical for his tastes, and besides, the boy had been cowardly enough to run away from them all and his duties.

"I wish you hadn't hit him over the head, Ron, then none of this would have happened," Hermione whispered.

Ron turned to glare at her. "What are _you_ saying?" He cried. "Everything's better when that idiot's gone! When he's here, the entire world is doomed. Without him, we're fine."

"Don't you see the mistake you made? He was the only thing the Light had in order to destroy the darkness. And now, everything will just become worse because of Voldemort."

"Ah, Miss Granger, you are right like always."

Hermione blushed, but tensed slightly. Miss Granger had always been a most difficult pawn to control.

"Miss Granger, Mr. Weasley, I would like you to talk to Severus and find out what he found about Mr. Potter. I suspect he found something, but he doesn't wish to talk about it."

"I don't believe that we should have done what we did to Harry," Hermione protested, her arms folded.

"You're such an idiot! A big, freaking idiot! You're my _wife_. That means you ought to listen to me above all else. Listen to me, 'Mione. I care about you above all else. But that Potter...is he _really_ all you think about? I don't want to think that all you think about is him!"

"He was our friend and we betrayed him. Look what you did to him, Ron. You hit him on the head, and left him bleeding. I'll admit, at first I was glad to be rid of him, but now I feel like we've done something terrible."

"Oh, come on, Mione. He deserved it."

"No, he didn't. We did something terrible," Hermione said, "That's why, if we find him again, I'll promise to never betray him again."

Ron made to slap Hermione, but Dumbledore stopped him.

"You must not do that. You and Miss Granger are destined to be together," Dumbledore said.

"I suppose that's true," She said.

* * *

Hermione glanced down at her cell phone. Even though Ron had told her he was against her using Muggle technology in the house, she still used it because she didn't want to be stuck in the Stone Ages, after all. She had to tell her parents how she was doing, and stuff. However, today, when she opened her text message and sorted through it, there was a new message. It read, in plain black letters:

**Hello, there. I happened to find your number by accident, and you seem to be ~quite~ a cute girl. Care telling me what's on your mind? Oh, and you can call me Nakura-san. I'm a Japanese. **

**'_A Japanese_****?' **She texted back. '**_You're really Japanese?_'**

**Indeed, I am. You can feel free to tell me _absolutely_ anything. I'll bet you're a really, really cute girl.**

Hermione blushed. She was already married to Ron. Was this boy fooling around with her? She was wary of this newcomer. Who was he?

'**_I'm sorry, but I'm already married. I can't betray Ron_.' **

**'Ah, yes, '_Ron'?_. What kind of name is that? What is this 'Ron' person like? You sound dissatisfied.'**

**'_Well, he's sort of a jerk_,' **She wrote back.

**Oh, really? That's too bad. I'm sure a clever girl like you could do a whole lot better. I mean, ~don't you get tired of someone that boring~? Don't you want to find a nicer guy...one that could treat you right?**

Now she was _sure _that he was trying to weasel her into something. **'Aren't you a clever guy?' **She wrote back.

A message appeared a few moments later. '**Aren't you a clever girl? Just like you ~always~ were.**

"What are you doing, 'Mione?" Ron cried. "I told you not to use Muggle technology here."

"Sorry," Hermione said, putting her phone away. When Ron had left, she whipped out her phone again, and texted, '**I'll talk to you later, Nakura-san.' **

* * *

Meanwhile, the owner of the cell phone looked at the text message on his phone with a gleam in his ruby red eyes. That was one Izaya Orihara, who had now found his old nemesis and perfect pawn; Hermione, the one who had made him into what he was now.

Izaya smirked as he looked at the number on his phone. "I found you, 'Mione. You always were an easy pawn to manipulate, and seeing as now I'm the one with all of the pawns in my hands...I will use you all to my utmost." He smirked at the pawns on his board. He walked over and picked up a white one, glancing at it coldly as he dropped it down on the board. The piece cracked slightly, and he smirked again.

"Now, old man...we're going to play a new game. It's called...how many turns will it take before I _kill_ you? I'm confident that Snivellus won't be able to say anything about where I am...you've made sure of that, haven't you, Namie Yagiri-san?" He said, directing his gaze toward the annoyed woman who disdained his existence.

"Whoever was targeting you, I suppose I have no choice but to help you out," She said disdainfully. "You mind telling me some of _your _secrets?"

"What kind of man would reveal every secret that's in his closet? That defeats the purpose." He chuckled darkly.

"At least tell me what this has to do with you," She said.

"I don't trust in _anyone_, Namie Yagiri-san," Izaya remarked cheerfully, which was the truth.

"Oh, sure, like _you're_ the type to induce trust in others," She snarked.

"A long time ago, I was betrayed, so I don't trust in anyone anymore," He said darkly. "Humans are quite a disgusting, psychotic bunch, wouldn't you say?" He said before laughing.

"Look who's talking," She snarked again.

"Oh, Miss Namie Yagiri-san. You crack me up. But my real name isn't Izaya Orihara. That has merely been a new name I've chosen for myself. I've been living here for the past nine years, just like you, I came to escape the past, and just like you, I despise all things unnatural," He said before lifting Celty's head off its shelf, examining it in fascination.

"Well, if there's one thing you and I have in common, it's that we both hate that head," She said.

"Yes, indeed," Izaya said, a malicious grin crossing his face. "Let me tell you something fascinating," He said before picking up a chess piece and throwing it in the air, "Did you know that magic is real?"

"Magic?" She said skeptically. "Another one of your fairy tales, Orihara?"

"Yes, there exists a secret society that hides in the shadows like a group of cowards, and they...are incredibly backwards-minded and racist. They even believe that they are better than us Muggles. That's their name for us. They can make us believe whatever they want us to, they can erase our memories, they can do all sorts of unsavory things. What a bunch of fools they all are."

"You telling me you're part of them or that you're running away from them?" She said astutely.

"You could say running away from them, but I've taken a liking to living with everything being controlled by me," He said.

"You're still not answering my question," She remarked.

"Sigh...let's just say that, a long time ago," He muttered before sketching out a picture of his former friends Ron and Hermione and himself, "There existed a very naive and stupid boy. He went and got himself killed, and now, that very same boy...is _dead," _He spat before ripping the pieces of paper into little bits and stepping on them. He started to laugh hysterically.

"Could you stop that laughing? It's quite annoying," She remarked.

"Forgive me, Miss Namie-san. It seems that I've gotten too lost in the past. I hope you'll forgive me for that, but I've just found a juicy new target to manipulate," He licked his lips. "Humans are so interesting to toy with, wouldn't you agree?"

"I do agree with you on that, except for my little brother," Namie said. "They're so easy to control."

"That's right...and that's why, when they get out of your control, you just want to do away with them, right?" Izaya said.

"No wonder I chose to share this office with you. Even though you're a crazy, psychotic maniac, I suppose there are some benefits to it," She said sarcastically. "But I really wish you wouldn't look at that head so much. It's disgusting."

"Forgive me," Izaya said, "I've lost track of time." He glared at the torn pieces of paper on the ground and then he lit them on fire.

"All you need to do is start a flame that will start a war..." He said.

"You are insane, you know that?" Namie said. The maniacal grin on Izaya's face told her all she needed to know. It was the look of a person who had been broken beyond belief, and it was definitely that of a man who showed no remorse. A sociopath; nothing mattered for him but his own goals.

"Well," He said, once Namie had left the room in frustration and had smothered the fire, and he picked up a white bishop, and threw it on the ground. "So, old man, what will your move be? Even if you look for me, I won't go down easily," He whispered. "I will definitely not return to that world. Now, how on earth should I keep manipulating Mione, that little brat?"

* * *

Much to his surprise, it was not Dumbledore he ran into down the street, but Fred and George.

"IZAYA!" A familiar voice cried. Izaya sighed. 'Here we go again...' Predictable, old Shizuo...

"Ah, Shizu-chan...giants like you are so typical."

"Wipe that grin off your face, Izaya, before I bash it in!" Shizuo boomed.

"Ah, Shizu-chan...your violence...it's so annoyingly predictable."

"Your smirking is annoyingly predictable, and that's why I'm going to wipe it off your face!" Shizuo cried as he threw a vending machine at Izaya, who smirked and dodged. He lunged with his knife, but before he could hit Shizuo, he heard two very familiar voices interject.

"That won't do."

"There's no need for that sort of violence," They chorused.

Izaya froze as he took in the two familiar redheaded men. 'Those two...what are they doing here in Ikebukuro?' He thought in alarm.

"Now, let's say you two stop fighting," They said before raising their wands up.

"Do you expect to win against me with a stupid stick like that?" Shizuo cried.

It was then at this point that Fred decided to use his wand against him...but instead, as what predictably happened, Shizuo snapped the wand in half with his own strength.

"Blimey, you have super strength!" Fred said, "Who are you?"

"I'm Shizuo Heiwajima, and if you know what's good for you, you'll run away now before I beat the crap out of you!"

'Here he goes again,' Izaya thought, looking bored now.

"Oh, yes, yes, very interesting, Mr. Shizuo...do tell us more. I'm Fred and George Weasley. We're clowns."

"The circus isn't in town," Shizuo said, noticing that Izaya was already slinking away from the scene of the crime like a cat. "...Don't think you're getting away, flea."

"And what about you?" They said before turning their gazes on Izaya, who blinked at them for a few moments before smirking. "You going to apologize?"

"Well, Shizu-chan, this is where I say my goodbyes~!" Izaya said before turning away.

"DAMN YOU, IZAYA, GET BACK HERE!" Shizuo cried, hurling a garbage can at Izaya, but he dodged it.

"Where do you think you're going, Muggle? We'd like to have a talk with you!" Fred and George chirped.

Just the last two people Izaya wanted to run into from his _old _life. "What can I help you with? My name's Izaya Orihara."

"Aren't you a likable chap?" They remarked. "Say, what's that?"*

"What's what?" Izaya remarked.

"There's a scar from under your bangs," They said.

"Oh, this? I got it a long time ago," Izaya remarked.

"It looks more like you were hit on the head with something," George deduced.

"Yes, something very sharp," Izaya said dryly.

The two twins looked at him for a long moment. "H-_Harry?" _They said in complete disbelief.

"Long time no see," Izaya said, "But I go by the name Izaya now, and I'm a full-blooded Japanese. I no longer consider myself a wizard."

"You've changed," George said, "But in some ways-"

"You're still the same!" Fred chirped.

"So Dumbledore manipulated you?" Fred asked.

"Yes, more or less, he wanted me to die for the sake of a cause I didn't understand. And now...I don't give a damn about that. All I care about is achieving my own goals," Izaya said.

"Damn, mate, you sound like you'd belong in Slytherin, Izaya."

"Yes, I would, but I have no urge to return to that world. You see, when I was hit by idiotic Ron, he may have slightly given me a concussion and skewed my morals...so now I'm a tad insane..." He said.

"Us, too. We've found we prefer the Muggle world. By the way, who's the grumpy blond guy back there, Har-er, Izaya?"

"That's Shizu-chan. He's just an idiot. He's made it his goal to kill me ever since we met."

"Ah, another Voldemort, huh?"

Izaya just smirked. "You could say so."

"And don't worry, Izaya, we won't tell anyone that you survived, because we-"

"Don't want Dumbledore to use you again."

"That old man's no fun to be around, but he hasn't given up. Poor Hermione, she's stuck with Ron," Fred complained.

"And he's treating her like dirt."

"I always knew he was a good-for-nothing," Izaya scoffed.

"Hey, he's still our brother, but you're right. He's quite an idiot."

"Yes, quite the idiot," Izaya said.

"I have to say, we like this new Harry better than the old one!" George exclaimed.

"That's good to know," Izaya remarked. "Very good to know."

"So how can we help you in your devious plans, Izaya?"

"Well, even if you two aren't going to spread the secret, I would like it if you two sent a message to that old fart...tell him that he cannot fool around with his little tricks any longer...or else, pull a few pranks in his office."

"Will do," They chanted.

"Did you know Bellatrix has been trying to kill us?"

"That crazy old bitch?" Izaya stifled a yawn. "I read about her when I first obtained some letters from Hedwig for a while."

"Where is Hedwig, by the way?"

"She's with my adopted sisters, Mairu and Kururi. We don't get along because I was an adopted sibling. They're basically like a clone copy of you two."

"I'd like to meet your sisters," Fred and George chanted.

"I just knew you two would get along," Izaya chirped.

"Even if you don't call yourself Harry Potter anymore, you're still the Harry we trusted, but you're different now. You're more devious!"

"Indeed, there's a lot more to be said for pulling stunts on people. Shizu-chan is really fun to provoke, so maybe you two could do me a favor...?"

"Will do..." They said and disappeared.

* * *

"I know full well that I can trust them. But what about the others?" He said. He paused as he saw Mikado, Masaomi, and Anri were walking home together.

"Did you see that, Mikado? I could've sworn those people just vanished in a flash of light!"

"You must've just imagined that, Masaomi," Mikado said.

Instantly, Masaomi froze upon seeing Izaya, as did Mikado.

'Ah, if it isn't the true face of Mikado Ryuugamine,' Izaya thought, upon seeing the boy's face go cold.

"What are you doing here, Izaya?" Masaomi said in a cold voice.

"Oh, nothing, really, Kida-kun, just looking around. You?"

"Up to no good again, I see," Masaomi remarked.

"My, my, you mustn't say things like that. Saki-san has been asking about you, you know."

As he predicted, Kida's eyes grew wide. "Don't you dare hurt her."

"She wants to see you so badly and yet you won't visit her."

"Masaomi, what's wrong?"

"Nothing...let's go, Mikado..."

Mikado left, but not before casting an interested stare at Izaya.

'Oh, well...I know full well that I'm not liked...this just _increases _the fun!'


	3. Chapter 3 From Harry to Izaya

**A/N:well, now it's time for us to take a look into Izaya's past and see how and why he went to Japan and was taken in by his new adopted family, the Oriharas. Flashback time, be warned. :D THANKS FOR 39 FOLLOWS! It is most appreciated.**

**~Three From Harry to Izaya~**

* * *

_"All it takes is one bad day to reduce the sanest man alive to lunacy."-Alan Moore, Batman._

**-Nine years ago, through Izaya's memories- **

Harry just sat on his bed, shaking in utter fear, unable to believe what he had just heard. His best friends...Hermione and Ron, no, he should call them his _former friends-or traitors..._had pretended to like him and had really hated him this entire time...all those times he'd spent with them really meant nothing to them? What was wrong with them? Had the times he'd spent with them meant so little to them that they'd honestly repay him with a gaping head wound?

As Harry thought over these thoughts, tears of utter heartbreak streamed down his face, falling on the bed and leaving it wet. He didn't bother to hide his sadness...no one was in here, anyway...he was alone.

The more he thought about things...the more everything he had been taught by Dumbledore seemed to be a falsehood, a complete and utter lie...had everyone played him for a fool this entire time? The only people who had been honest enough to admit they hated him were his aunt and uncle, and he had to give them credit for that. They had been right about this depraved little world after all...he just wished he had given them more credit.

Prejudiced though the Dursleys may be, they had merely warned him about the dangers that lay ahead. He had been optimistic, like the foolish child he had been. He should have known from the start that everything was fake, like Ron turning on him so easily, the school spreading rumors about him, the Headmaster doing nothing to help him fight off Voldemort until he was injured or near-death, and the teachers doing nothing to stop the bullying he'd endured from both Snape and Malfoy.

'Can I go out into the world and tell them how they act? Can I teach them a lesson for their ignorance?' He thought, but the more he reflected on it, the angrier he became...he felt his head and noticed there was a wicked scar trailing down from the top of his head to his forehead. He would have to deal with another scar for the rest of his life, thanks to his goddamned friend.

Anger filled the young wizard's heart as it never had before...pure, _unbridled_ hatred for other humans filled his heart. 'Return...to the Dursleys? There's _no way _I'm going back there. I'm going to make my own destiny. I won't let that old fart control me anymore,' He thought, clenching his fists so hard his knuckles turned white.

'**Aren't you naive? Let me say this to you: you've finally snapped out of the lie. No one really cared about you to begin with, so why should you care about what happens to this world, anyway? If I were you, I would say to hell with everyone else and take care of myself first. Survival is the most important thing, Harry Potter.' **

_'_I can't...Dumbledore will find me,' He whispered in his mind. A sharp idea struck his brain then.

'**Look, just trust your conscience and start examining everything from a distance. Don't form relationships with people now. They'll just use you and throw you away...why don't you start off by getting rid of Harry Potter? Run away...and leave this cruel world behind. Destroy your magic.' **

'Okay,' Harry thought reluctantly. He picked up his wand with trembling fingers, remembering all the good times he had experienced with it. "I'm sorry...but this is for the best," He whispered, snapping it in half with a satisfying crunch, but tears flowed down his face anyway. He felt his magic leaving him...but he wasn't completely powerless. He felt strangely energized, somehow...he stood up...and looked out at the window. He knew what he must do.

He took a piece of parchment and took his quill, writing in a formal and cold tone that was rather unlike that of someone his age. It was more like the words of someone who had lived for so much longer and had lost his innocence. Yes, he had matured tremendously, against his will. As of now, he was no longer the Boy-Who-Lived. He would leave this wretched place, and become free.

The thought filled him with joy as he opened the window and leapt out, landing in the lake. His head hurt him, but he continued to ignore the pain, knowing that he had to survive. Nothing else mattered at the moment.

* * *

He didn't know how long he'd been walking...his legs were sore...he was hungry...but he didn't care...he just wanted to live...he didn't give a damn about how the wizards were desperately looking for their "savior." He cowered in a train station, watching some people lazily...just watching them. He'd developed that habit lately.

His hair had grown longer and shaggier, almost long enough to cover his scar He thought he saw a boy with blond hair looking at him in curiosity. He was a muggle. Harry just ignored him.

'Screw humans,' He thought. 'I'll just let Voldemort have his way. I should send him a notice, too,' He thought and smirked a rather evil smirk, one that would not have normally been on Harry Potter's face...he snuck on board the train, and knew where he was heading...he was headed, away from England...to _where, exactly? _

He looked around, and noticed two girls talking excitedly. Curious, he listened in closely.

"You know, I heard Japan is a really nice place to see. Especially Ikebukuro, what with the Blue Squares, and gangsters...it's scary to see all that violence. I hope I don't run into any of those criminals while I'm there," The girl whined.

"Who knows how many people there are runaways hiding from the law like cowards? I heard it's easy to change your name there." The other one whispered. "Who the _hell _would want to run away like that?"

Harry felt nothing but a cold hatred and a calm, cool air overcome him. He didn't care anymore. However, he did feel a need to educate these ignorant morons about their stupidity. "How do you know, foolish girls?" He said coolly, though still with his damned British accent. 'First things, first, I need to change my accent and fast. That'll be a dead giveaway. I need to learn Japanese...and a bunch of other languages...if I wish to stay away from the Magical World. Then I need to find someone to take me in...and then I need to change my appearance and my name.'

"What a jerk!" The girl huffed. "You must think you're all that."

"No," He said coldly. "I've just realized the entire world doesn't revolve around you and your self-centered melodrama. So why don't you shut the hell up and think for once? Some of us would like to hear some intelligent thoughts."

Somehow, he sounded like Malfoy...yet, putting others down suddenly felt so damned _good. He had power...he wasn't a damned fool anymore. _

"Buzz off, kid," The girl said dismissively. Harry felt a cold anger surge through him as he hit her in the face. Everyone else gasped upon seeing her fall to the floor. "Shut the hell up, you ignorant human. _Just looking_ at you pisses me off."

From the rest of the trip on, no one spoke to Harry anymore. He didn't give a damn anymore...

Japan proved to be no easy task...the majority of people wouldn't even give him a second glance...so Harry had to navigate things on his own...that was, until he saw an ad in the paper asking for "people to help with business deals."

Harry realized, then, that this was his big chance. He started his work with the Japanese yakuza, at first anonymously, through learning how to use the Internet, and then he met with them in person.

"How old are you, kid?" They asked.

"...Fifteen."

"You running away from something? Any way we can help?" They asked.

"I need a way to change my accent and my appearance, as soon as possible...if I do these jobs for you, will you show me how?"

A smirk crossed the man's face. "You've got the right stuff for a criminal, kid. What's your name, huh?"

Harry froze. "Ha-" He began and then stopped. Should he even call himself that anymore? He struggled to think of something in his mind...until a name came to his mind...he recalled Petunia reading to Dudley stories from the Bible...stories about prophets...he recalled one in particular...named Isaiah.

'He knew mysteries about humankind...he was above humans, yet at the same time one of them. Well, I don't believe in mysteries...I'll discard magic...Isaiah...what about Isa-ya? ...Izaya...? _That's perfect. It's the right name. It's Japanese.' _

A smirk crawled up his face. "...It's Izaya. Pleasure doing business with you..." He said gleefully.

* * *

Sure enough, true to their word, the yakuza started teaching Harry, or as he now went by, Izaya, Japanese...and Harry picked it up rather quickly. Two years went by and by the time he was seventeen, he already sounded like a Japanese person and his British accent was slowly fading.

They had also allowed him to change his appearance. First, he had let his hair grow out and refused to brush it, so it would become messier and less recognizable. Second, he grew it out enough so that it would hide both his scars...and then he had surgery to hide the lightning bolt scar. It worked.

Finally, he decided he should undergo surgery to make him look more Asian, and once that was finished, he decided to get rid of his glasses and go for contacts, instead. _Red contacts. _Harry, no, _Izaya, the cold-blooded criminal, enjoyed that idea._

Already, word was spreading through the underground of a dangerous new criminal who killed with no remorse. Izaya did everything he could-he blackmailed, he smuggled drugs, he swindled people out of their money, gambled, stole things for people, stole things for himself, and even killed people.

He kidnapped people before, too. In the beginning, he left them alive...but by the time he was eighteen, Izaya had lost his capacity to show mercy and instead tortured them as much as possible and then killed them. His criminal buddies were both impressed and frightened by his bloodthirsty ways.

When all of this was going on, Izaya had managed to sign himself up for a high school called Raira Academy. He had been adopted by a family with two little girls and officially took on the name, Orihara Izaya.

Life was good...for the first time in his life, he was not scorned, laughed at, or mocked. People _knew _who he was, and they _showed _him the respect he deserved. Izaya completely lost any sense of morals he had once possessed once enough time had passed. He had also lost his mind due to the psychosis brought on by Ron's assault to him on the head.

He didn't care. Insane or not, he was able to do things his way now, and that was more satisfying than he could care to admit. Then he met Shinra, someone just as fascinating as he was. Though Shinra had this annoying habit of asking too many questions.

"Izaya-kun, your accent sounds vaguely like a foreigner's." Shinra remarked.

"I assure you, I'm a native Japanese," Izaya said.

Shinra hadn't been convinced, but nonetheless he had dropped the subject.

Then Shizuo came into the picture, and Izaya's ideal life took a turn for the worse. The man had no damned self-control and liked to make his life hell. However, Izaya was no longer the weak, scrawny, skinny boy he had been while he had been Dumbledore's pawn. He had gained muscle after years of being trained by criminals.

Then he discovered Masaomi Kida, and Celty, and Mikado-kun, and then his game began. But now, how would he do it, he thought, as he spun around in his chair? Severus-kun knew, that blasted fool, and he would not hold his tongue. Izaya knew from experience that the man hated his guts...all it would take was a little persuasion...

He could trust the Weasley twins, after all. At first, Hermione and Ron had sent him letters by owl regularly, begging and pleading him to come back. He had almost been tempted to answer them, but refused. Eventually, Ron stopped writing, though Hermione did so for almost a year before she quit. Dumbledore wouldn't stop, either. He finally stopped when Izaya was sixteen and two years had passed without any of his bait-and-switch letters being answered.

One day, he was reading the Daily Prophet in his office...when he came across an article that just cracked him up. It was written by one Rita Skeeter.

_"Boy-who-lived...where did he go and why did he leave? Savior of the Wizarding World has been gone for nearly eight long years." By Rita Skeeter: _

_Eight years have passed since the disappearance of Mr. Harry James Potter, age 14, the orphaned child of James and Lily Potter. He disappeared after being selected for the Triwizard Tournament and despite extensive searches made up until two years ago, he has not been found. No one knows what happened to the poor boy. _

_We talked to Albus Dumbledore for his opinion on this mysterious boy. _

_"IT is truly a pity that Harry disappeared. We need him to win this war. I have a strong hunch that he's still alive," He said. _

_"Even though so much time has passed? He must be dead by now. No one can hide for that long, Albus," I said. _

_"I can tell...Harry cannot escape his destiny as the hero of the Wizarding World." _

_Mr. Cornelius Fudge refused to comment, but one Mrs. Molly Weasley was willing to come forward. _

_"I'm saddened that Harry left our side. We were so good to him. He did nothing but scorn our friendship and love. Ginny was going to marry him and everything would be good." Molly said scornfully. _

_Ronald Weasley has this to say about his former best friend. "I can't believe that coward up and left us. We needed him and the bloody git turned his back on us. What a coward. I hope he's dead or suffering for his crimes. We can never forgive him." _

_Rumors have stated that before Mr. Potter vanished, he got into a violent argument with Mr. Ronald Weasley that ended with Ronald hitting Mr. Potter with his wand. The last time the boy was seen alive...he was lying in Hogwarts' hospital bed, with a head injury. His head injury was reported to be a bad concussion and Hogwarts fears the boy may have become brain-damaged. They expect that he probably suffered some sort of mental breakdown and ran away out of guilt for not living up to his expectations. I, too, am disappointed in Mr. Potter. I wonder if he will read this article and fess up._

_Rita Skeeter_

Izaya laughed hysterically. The twenty-two year old man cut out the parchment and slowly, but surely...folded it up and wrote, in neat, slow ink...in a handwriting that was deliberately not his former self's, but rather in a cold and robotic tone:

**"Dear Ms. Rita Skeeter, **

**I read your article, and to be honest, I am ashamed that you would publish such disgusting garbage about a dead child. What do you care if he died? You only published this article to become famous. As a reader of your work, I am sorely disappointed. Who knew the writer who is world-famous for her excellent work was actually a lying bitch? I might just have to spread this little mistake of yours all over. By tomorrow, the whole world will know what you have done. Enjoy your years of future ostracism, human scum. **

**-Signed, Nakura-san**

Smirking, Izaya read over the furious reply he had gotten back. Hedwig hooted beside him. Izaya smirked and stroked his friend. "We don't have to worry about _them _anymore. Go to my little sisters. You don't have to bring me any news from them anymore. It'll arouse suspicion."

Hedwig looked disappointed, but nonetheless obeyed her master and went to his little sisters, who were both surprised and delighted with their new pet. He told them a little white lie, and told him magic really existed. To his delight, they believed every word of it.

He noticed a new message on his phone. He brought it up and looked at the name: _PranksterMaster. _The message was simple: it asked Izaya how he was. Carefully, Izaya typed out a reply, telling him he was all right and that he should be more careful.

After all, he did not want his secret to be revealed to more people. He was sure that Masaomi had already noticed something strange about him.

"Fancy meeting you again, Izaya," He spat.

"Come now, Kida-kun, I just wanted to visit. What do you think of betrayal?"

"Betrayal? Like what you do to others on a daily basis?" Masaomi spat.

"Your anger is quite rousing. But...it's one of the most depraved things you can do...yet it also opens up your naive mind to reality. Humans cannot be trusted. They'll just use you until you're nothing..." He whispered.

"What are you saying, Izaya?" Masaomi said, wondering what secrets the man was hiding beneath that twisted smile.

"Ta-ta, Masaomi-kun. I have some friends to meet up with."

Smirking, he walked into Russia Sushi, and spotted two brunettes sitting together at a table, with familiar blue eyes. They waved him over as he smirked and sat down.

"Izaya, how's it going?" Fred snapped, assaulting his former friend with questions.

"Keep a better profile. I'm lying low, like always. In the past eight years, I've resigned myself to doing despicable deeds, you know. I've gambled, blackmailed, played pranks on others, terrorized them for fun..."

Fred and George shivered slightly.

"Why would you...?"

"I even killed a few people every now and again. They wanted to die...they just got their wishes granted, is all. What? Now that I think about it, he did have the right mindset...Moldywart, that is. Power is the only way to be certain of anything." Izaya stated.

"Man, you're scary. You've lost your mind. But it's oddly fascinating."

"Indeed it is. Severus-kun won't be telling a soul thanks to a friend of mine." Izaya whispered.


	4. Chapter 4 Gambit

**A/N:This is probably the first time I have had so many ideas for a story at once! I'm so excited~ After this, Alchemist's reincarnation and the End of Everything will be updated, too. You can probably expect an update for Ghosts from another life within the next few days, as well as something for Osananajimi. Oh, and sorry for the slight error...when I said eight years later, I should have meant nine, since Izaya is fourteen when he runs away from his old life and twenty-three in the beginning of DRRR! So I'll have to fix some stuff up. Sorry about that. Izaya's true age in-series is probably in his twenties, and I'd say he probably did all sorts of shady and illicit things in order to become an 'information broker.' I wouldn't put murder past him, either, from his callous disregard for life. Nonetheless, the idea of a psychopathic, murdering person like Izaya being the Boy-who-lived was both very tantalizing, but also rather implausible...until you consider in canon, you never see his parents, besides his little sisters. Reason why they hate him? He's their adopted brother in this version. In-series, they're as screwed up as Izaya. XD I wonder what his parents are like. I'm scared to find out, though I wonder if they could be the Joker and Shion Sonozaki. **

**Four Gambit**

* * *

Hermione raised a brow ever-so-slightly at the newest text message she had gotten from 'Nakura-san,' who had texted her at least _ten_ times during the past few days, which had become quite grating for Ron to live with, but she had told him off by telling him that she had every right to answer such calls. Just because she had married him did not mean that she _completely_ became his tool, day and night.

**Do you remember the monster in Frankenstein?**

_**'Yes, I read the book a long time ago, by Mary Shelley. Why is that of any importance?' **_

**Hmm...don't you remember how the monster was treated by his creator? The monster was shown very little kindness and sympathy, instead being treated as nothing more than a tool for his purposes. Eventually, the monster snapped and decided to become as inhuman as people treated him and eventually destroyed his creator. **

_'__**I suppose...but what does that have to do with me?' **_

**I suppose I ~just~ wanted to see your knowledge of contemporary literature, Granger-san. You're as superb as I expected you to be. Tell me more about your life...I might be able to extract you from such a **_**terrible **_**situation. **

**'**_**To be honest, living with Ron Weasley is not so bad, Nakura-san. Let's just say we don't normally use technology, much less internet or cell phones.'**_

The reply came back, only it wasn't in bold, instead it was in italic, and what she read there both amused and startled her. How had he _known_ this? It said, in taunting letters: '_So you live with Amish people, then, Granger-san? I presume you'll tell me next they use sticks in everyday living and give people love potions without their knowledge. What other fantastic tales of fantasy could you possibly tell me?' _

Hermione hesitated. '**Well, Ron is a wizard. That's to be expected, isn't it? The way you talk, it's as if you've seen wizards yourself.' **

Nakura-san texted back a few moments later: '_Witches, wizards...what garbage. Such things do not exist. Your husband must be delusional, Granger-san, in which case, I definitely pity you. So, will he go to the psych ward any time soon? Do you honestly believe such nonsense can be real?' _

She froze at the sudden, cruel gibe he had thrown at her. He hadn't acted like this before, and it scared her to see the normally nice and easygoing texter (whoever he was) send her something this twisted. It was as if he enjoyed messing with people's minds or something as twisted as that.

'_**No, what I'm saying is the truth, Nakura-san. Why won't you believe me?' **_

'_You really are a fool, aren't you? Magic...is illusion, nothing more than sophisticated parlor tricks designed to fool the plebeians who can't seem to think with their minds. Nonetheless, I can certainly understand why you would come to the defense of your delusional husband. How very typical...' _

The underlying message here was something remarkably cruel and sadistic, sent from someone who liked to have a good laugh out of twisting others to suit their own needs. Anger filled her being as she sent another text message to Nakura-san, only to get no response. She suddenly saw a phone number listed in one of his texts and dialed the number.

"Error, sorry but the number you are trying to find does not exist. Please try again," A soft female electronic voice said over the other line.

Hermione gritted her teeth together. Who the hell _was _Nakura-san? Why had he (she had a strong suspicion it was a male from the way he talked in his texts, and was certainly one of conceivable arrogance, that much was certain,) decided to text her in the first place? He had said he'd found her number 'by accident.' How had he located her, and why?

She suspected he was Japanese, since he often used a lot of Japanese words in his conversations with her. However, he could be a foreigner who had learned Japanese and was passing himself off as one. Either of the two seemed likely. But this person was someone who seemed to be like Voldemort, a complete sadist who enjoyed toying with others' lives like they were nothing but pawns in a chess game.

Could it have been Voldemort using her like a tool? No, most wizards had no knowledge of electronic things, much less 'inferior' muggle technology, and most would deem it unworthy of being looked at without a second glance. What if this person was a wizard? She highly doubted it, given how Nakura-san had dismissed her claims in an instant. He was evidently a muggle who liked to ridicule others.

"Mione, you won't believe this...look at this article. Rita Skeeter...the world-renowned writer in the Wizarding World...she's been murdered," Ron said, his face ashen as he placed a newspaper in front of her, showing a moving picture of some wizards crowding around a corpse that lay, unmoving, on the ground.

"Rita Skeeter...the famous writer for the Daily Prophet, has been found dead today, in, of all places, Tokyo, Japan. It's unknown as to why the writer was there in the first place, but she has been estimated to be dead for at least a day. Wizards have detected no usage of any spells of any kind and no magic was found at the scene. However, Miss Skeeter had cuts on her shoulder with a sharp blade and a knife wound was also found on her temple. It is implied that we believe her to have been savagely tortured and then murdered with muggle weapons, not a wand. Death Eaters are reported to be behind the attacks, but the investigation will continue-" Hermione read, and felt sick to her stomach the more she read.

"Who would do such a _disgusting thing?" _Ron said. "Someone like Malfoy?"

"Ron, Malfoy lives here, in England. He wouldn't be in Japan. Besides, they said it might have been Death Eaters who killed her. It's possible that they obtained muggle weaponry from someone. I think the person who killed her was a muggle."

Ron scoffed. "Muggles can't murder a wizard. We're superior to them in every possible way."

"They've got snipers, artillery, grenades, drones and bombs...not to mention surveillance and wiretapping. Face it, Ron, if the Muggles ever do decide to attack, we're dead meat. A drone is a plane that flies over an area and drops explosives. In 1945, the Muggles used a bomb on Japan and the bomb annihilated the entire area in an instant. It wiped out everything. Tell me if Voldemort can do that." Hermione said sharply.

"Who cares? We're better than they are. They can't live without us. Oww!" He cried, glaring at an owl that had just flown in. He recognized it. It was an envelope from Fred and George. He opened it carefully, only to be besieged by several ugly black tarantulas as they crawled out of it and onto his legs.

'Dear Brother, we have been in Japan for a little while and we have found no luck. No wizards seem to be around here, so we've just amused ourselves by harassing Muggles. Did you know there's a man who can snap a wand in half with his bare hands and he's a Muggle? He's Shizuo...er, Shitsuo...no, it was Shizuo Hecklejima or something. Whatever. Anyway, we wanted to share with you some rare spiders we found courtesy of an anonymous donor who wishes to help us with our business. We will be headed back to England as soon as possible and look forward to seeing you. We'll send you a couple of toilet seats, too, Ronnie-kins.'

"Ron, why would they do this?" Hermione said in shock, reading over the letter's contents in complete and utter disbelief. Why were they in Japan to begin with?

* * *

The next day, she met Luna Lovegood out on the street.

"Hello, Hermione. Have you found the prophet yet?"

"What prophet?" She asked, in confusion, "Do you mean Rita Skeeter's murder in the Daily Prophet?"

Luna repeated, "Have you found the prophet? He's the one that will bring death and destruction to the world. You should also be warned of old men, they could be murderers in disguise and liars. I highly suggest avoiding Dumbledore, Hermione. Poor Neville, now he has to be the surrogate Boy-who-lived. I think that's a stupid title, don't you?" With that, Luna left, leaving a puzzled Hermione to ponder over her weird message.

"What on earth does that mean? I can't grasp what that girl's thinking at times. Prophet...what does it mean if it doesn't have to do with the Daily Prophet? And who murdered Rita Skeeter? Why would she be visiting Japan in the first place?" She said out loud.

She wondered if Harry was really dead. It was true that neither hide nor hair of him had been seen or heard of since he had run away from his hospital room. They estimated that he'd jumped out the window, and then swam away in the lake, indicated by his magic signature...until it mysteriously faded somewhere between Hogwarts and the regular world. Where would he have gone? Surely not the Muggle world. Harry hated the Muggle world, she knew that much. He wasn't at the Dursleys. He wasn't at Grimmauld Place, nor was he at the Burrow.

Could it really be possible that he had simply run away and joined the Muggles, hiding amongst them? Almost a decade had passed since his disappearance, and still Hermione found herself thinking about him. Had Dumbledore been right when he said that Harry was still alive? If so, where was he?

Her mind drifted back to the man called Nakura. Who was he, and why had he bothered to talk to her in the first place? He was a complete and total stranger.

'_You are smart, just like you always were.' _

Always were? He sounded like he knew her. But that was impossible. Hermione sighed as she decided to look over some things in the local wizard library. There was one talking about super strength, one talking about something in the Muggle world called the "Dollars," and other various things.

Hermione preferred to spend most of her time away from home. She could clearly see now that marrying Ron had been a horrible mistake. He treated her like she was less than he was and was abusive to her in private. She wondered why she had never seen the cruel side of him before...then she remembered how Ron had distanced himself from Harry in the tournament, how he had accused her of killing his rat, how he had been the one to call her a nightmare in first year, and realization washed over her.

He had always been this mean, it was just stopped by the kindness of Harry. It was true that both of them had been assigned to be his friends and his spies to report back to Dumbledore, but she had developed genuine feelings of amity for him and as such was heavily disgusted with Ron for beating him up. She had assumed that, despite them going behind Harry's back, that both of them had completely liked Harry. Harry was hard _not to like. _

Even Malfoy had come up to her recently, asking if she knew where Harry was. He was bored and missed their old banter between each other. She had replied no, and noticed that he looked strangely sad. Almost like he had actually liked the boy, too.

* * *

The Weasley family...was oddly smothering, and not in a good way. Molly seemed to exert lots of control over what she and Ron did, who they met, and Arthur seemed ever more unaware of their activity. Percy had not resumed contact with them, but he had written them back, saying he was happy about their refusal to take Harry back if he ever showed up.

Percy was traveling abroad, doing business for the Ministry, and he had written them several times in the past year.

Hermione had always seen Ron and Harry as her friends. Never anything more. That was why she wondered why she had even bothered to marry him if she only saw their relationship as a platonic one.

She knew why now. She was sick of the tight grip the Wizarding World had on its residents. It never wanted them to leave its quaint little world, it never wanted them to see the outside world again. How could she have been so foolish? Harry had been right. Wherever he was now, he was surely much happier than he had ever been while at Hogwarts. She couldn't recall a year at Hogwarts that had not been filled with misery for Harry.

* * *

Poor Harry...she wished she could have done more to help him, then perhaps he wouldn't have run away...or be dead...what if he was still alive? Would he even want to come back and forgive her? At this point, her cell phone sent her a new text:

_**Hello there, Granger-san. I wonder if you're ready to play my new game. It's quite entertaining, really. You tell me about your make-believe world and I'll laugh at you. How's that sound? **_

_Screw off, Nakura-san. I need to find my friend Harry and apologize to him for the way he was treated. _

_**Who might this Harry person be? If he was wronged by you all, don't you think he has every right to leave? After all, that's how most of you humans are, you derive pleasure from tormenting others. **_

_How could you possibly understand how it felt to lose a best friend there and then? _

_**Playing melodramatic princess now, are we? Aren't you a tragic little damsel?! Well, your play acting may fool some people, but it won't fool me, princess. If your friend was smart, he'd probably never forgive you. Now, tell me what you did to him. **_

_My best friend hit him on the head and I begged him to stop when he passed out. I was being an immature brat at the time and complained about being friends with Harry because basically I was spying on him and betraying his trust, something that ate away at me. I couldn't stand it anymore and was going to tell him all about it when Ron prevented me from doing anything by starting a fight with him. Then he was gone before I could even explain._

_**...**_

Hermione blinked upon seeing nothing but several dots. What would his reaction be to this? She was telling a complete and utter stranger about this event.

* * *

Izaya stared at the text on the screen, unable to believe his eyes. She honestly felt _bad _about what she'd done to him? He totally had not heard her cry for Ron to stop hitting him and beating him up for something that wasn't his damned fault to begin with. Either she was lying and pretending to feel bad about it, or else she was regretful.

Izaya did the only thing he could do, he laughed hysterically and typed out his laughter...unable to believe what he saw before him, he decided that this must be some form of cruel, twisted joke. They had turned _their _backs on him and they expected _him _to return back there so he could become their victim again? Hell no.

He smirked upon seeing Hermione's response. "I knew that would freak you out."

"W-What is this?" She gasped.

* * *

**"**_**HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! THAT'S GOT TO BE THE FUNNIEST THING I'VE EVER HEARD! YOUR DESCRIPTION OF HIM BLEEDING ON THE FLOOR WAS HYSTERICAL, I THINK MY STOMACH IS HURTING FROM LAUGHTER! SO, DID HE DIE OR WHAT? TELL ME WHETHER OR NOT HE DIED." **_

'_W-What's wrong with you? Don't you have a heart at all? My lies got my best friend killed." _

_**"HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! I GUESS I WON'T GET TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT HE DIES. WHAT A PITY. I SUPPOSE I'M DONE USING YOU TODAY, SO GOODBYE. IT WAS FUN GETTING TO SCREW WITH YOUR MIND." **_

Hermione felt sweat drip down her forehead. She had literally been scared to death by this...person...this disturbingly insane person who had told her, in so little words that he didn't care about her and was just using her because he was bored. It was like speaking to Voldemort...no, it was even worse.

* * *

Izaya laughed hysterically on the other end. "This has got to be the best day of my life! I learn she actually feels _sorry and whines to me about what she did? _I don't give a damn, anyway. I don't care what happens to her anymore. She can go die for all I care."

He spun around in his chair, laughing hysterically. "I'm best all alone! Ah, humanity, what interesting puppets you all are! I'm going to enjoy every last bit of this! Indeed, I will!"

A malicious smirk crossed his face then as he stared at the knife he held that was covered with fresh, red blood. "I already _enjoyed_ ending your life, Miss Rita Skeeter. Who should I go after next? I get bored. I need new targets to play with."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:It's time for the next update. This time, we see Izaya reflect on his childhood and how he turned out. Not only that, he decides to send a little message to his old "family", the Dursleys. There will be some character death, but not much. I mean, who'll mourn the Dursleys? **

* * *

**Five: **A surprise visit from the demon of Ikebukuro

Izaya frowned as he texted Hermione again, only to get no response back. Except a very familiar texter wrote out an angry message to him that said:

**'**_I don't know how this muggle technology works, but stay away from Hermione.'_

_**Ooh, you're the protective boyfriend! How scary~. I should be applauding you for your one-dimensional performance, shouldn't I? **_

_You jerk, just stay away from her, you stupid muggle. _

_**She's told me ALL-ABOUT-YOU-Mr. overprotective boyfriend. You also abuse her.**_

* * *

Izaya smirked upon receiving no response back. "Looks like this round is mine, Ronnie-kins...ickle Ronnie-kins is as inferior as ever," He mumbled as he took his knife and washed the blood off of it.

"Orihara, why is there blood on that knife?" Namie demanded.

"I did away with someone and the blood just got there by accident," Izaya said lightheartedly while whistling a merry little tune.

"Whatever, just get rid of the evidence," She said dismissively.

"I'll leave you to do that, Miss Namie Yagiri-san," Izaya chirped. Upon hearing her growl in frustration, he merely sighed and continued his whistling, having long since disposed of any evidence that he had been there at all. His memories of her final moments still played in his mind.

She had not even known the cold-hearted "demon," as she called him in her final moments, had been the once innocent boy she had slandered so often in her newspapers. That boy was dead, Izaya said to himself as he finished rinsing the knife off. He looked at his slender fingers...and then he put the knife away.

Every now and again, his magic would act up to help him, but he suppressed it, for fear of the Ministry finding him. For every person had a unique magical core attached to them-and even if their wand was snapped in half, it still functioned and kept the magical person alive. Izaya even suspected that good old Shizu-chan had some magical tendencies-as evidenced by his ability to survive things most people couldn't-or maybe he was just a Super Saiyan, as they called it on that anime show Izaya sometimes watched when he was bored and had nothing to do.

He was pretty sure the Wizarding World was managing just fine without their 'golden boy' there to help them...he was no one's tool to begin with. His fists tightened slightly on the blade he was holding tenderly. He quickly stopped doing that. Sighing, he thought over his old life and his mind came back to rest on the topic of Privet Drive. He wondered whether or not his loving 'family' had changed. 'If I'm not there, Dumbass probably erased their memories of me. I wonder if he'd do the same to me, to make me his pawn once more.'

A smirk crawled up his face as he had a new text, from one Ron Weasley. "You're still as jealous as ever, Ron-kun. Nothing much has changed there, eh?"

**Damn you. Stay away from us. Do I make myself clear? **

_**Aha ha! You are so clever. Nope, you bore me to death.**_


	6. Chapter 6 Izaya's plans

**A/N:Well, time for the next chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. I'm sorry for the short chapter...this chapter will be much longer, I guarantee you!**

* * *

**Chapter Six Izaya's new plan**

Nine years had passed since the people living at Privet Drive had forgotten about the existence of the magical world, and of magical people themselves, but still the place had not changed one bit since the departure of the wicked Dumbledore. Vernon and Petunia still lived in the same, bland, old house, with their son, Dudley, who was now working a part-time job and had a girlfriend, incredibly.

Vernon and Dudley were unaware of the fact that they had ever lived with a magical child, abused a magical child, and did not _even think_ about the idea that their minds were tampered with, because they simply didn't have enough willpower to not remember something they wanted to forget in the first place, and who could blame them?

There was one who could not forget, however, and that was Petunia Dursley. How could she ever forget about the existence of her beloved sister and of her wretched nephew? That wicked man had honestly told her to _forget_ that her sister had ever existed, for 'the sake of her own happiness.' How _dare _he tamper with her mind! That was so unacceptable that Petunia simply refused to let herself forget, and it worked. The memories of Lily, James, and their son, Harry, did not vanish from her mind, but rather retreated to the back of her mind, so she could think about other, more important things, like raising her little Duddy-kins and supporting him in every way she could.

She didn't miss the freak all that much-well, she would be lying if she said some small part of her didn't-she missed him to a small degree, but not very much, not enough that she missed his presence in her life. He had brought nothing but trouble to their house from the time he had been born-he had disappeared and was most likely dead.

Wait, according to what that old idiot had told her just before he had wiped Vernon and Dudley's minds, he had said that the freak had snapped his wand in half, which meant that he had no magic. He had become a muggle, which meant that perhaps their ways had rubbed off onto Harry at last, and he had hence become a better person.

A smirk crawled up her face. "Good for you, boy," She whispered. "You've given up your freakish ways for good."

That didn't mean that she still didn't hate him. She just admired how brave it was for him to throw in the towel before he died, like her sister had. If only Lily had been smart enough to destroy her wand and sever her ties to that wicked world, then she would still have a sister to talk to, a sister with a normal husband, and not one who believed their kind to be inferior.

But alas, the past was the past, and what happened could not be changed. She didn't know where her nephew was, nor what he was doing now and of course, she didn't care to know. She hated any mention of that word magic even more than before, because she knew now that they had been cowardly enough to erase her memories of one person-simply because they lost him and couldn't own up to their mistakes.

What cowards they were. Even thinking about them made her angry. She bit her lip slightly, causing blood to trickle down her face. She wiped it away with her hand.

"Pet, what's wrong?" Vernon asked, her kind, loving husband who also had no tolerance for anything magical looking into her eyes with concern. "Are you all right?"

Petunia snapped herself out of her reverie. "I'm just fine, Vernon. I know full well that we have nothing to worry about anymore. Dudders is doing fine on his own now, isn't he?"

Vernon smiled at her. "Say, Pet, you ever wonder if there are...unnatural things out there?"

Petunia frowned at him. "Don't worry," She reassured. "There's no way that unnatural things exist."

"Some days," He began, "It feels like there is something I'm forgetting, something unpleasant. But I must be delusional, right?"

"Yes, yes, you are," Petunia said assuredly, wishing to keep her husband's sanity in check.

"You're right," Vernon said, but he still didn't look totally convinced.

Petunia just decided to forget about those matters for a while, figuring they didn't matter.

* * *

Shizuo frowned as he spotted the same red-headed men he'd seen before hanging around Izaya. They weren't with him today, but he was suspicious of anyone who hung around that snake, friend or not. Were they blackmailed by him, or were they criminals who also helped him out? He needed to find out exactly what was going on.

"Hey, you two," He said, "Clowns, can I have a word with you?"

"Oh, it's you, Shizuo-"

"Hecklejima? What can we do for you?" The second one said, finishing the other one's sentences in a manner that was cliched.

"I want to know why you hang out with Izaya. Don't you know what sort of person he is?"

To his surprise, they both started to laugh.

"Yes, we're fully aware what he is. But we can't tell you too much about him. We were asked not to, by Izaya himself."

"What are you talking about?" Shizuo asked, very curious.

"I'm sorry, but we can't tell you that much about Izaya. All we can say is that Izaya's not who you think he is. We know what made him the way he is today; we want to be by his side and not betray him like everyone else has in his life."

"Betrayed? What kind of nonsense are you saying? Izaya betrays other people to satisfy his own goals! He's a sadistic, twisted individual and you should stay away from him if you know what's good for you." Shizuo said.

"Izaya was betrayed a long time ago. He doesn't trust anyone anymore because of that," The first red-headed boy spoke up.

"But all we're saying is get to know him before you judge." They said, and then suddenly, they disappeared, before a confused Shizuo's eyes.

"How the hell did they disappear like that?" He cried. 'What the hell do they mean by don't judge Izaya? That bastard has always been disgustingly wicked and cruel and nothing will ever change my opinion of him.'

He frowned then and dropped his lit cigarette and stomped on it. "DAMMIT!" He cried out loud. "What the hell do they mean by that? I hate not understanding things, dammit! Izaya is still Izaya, a despicable, annoying bastard, and nothing will ever change my opinion about him."

'Still, what if I did learn something about his backstory? Would that change my opinion of him?' He thought. 'Maybe Shinra knows something.'

* * *

"Izaya, nice to see you again," Shinra said, smiling at the dark-haired young man, who smirked slightly. "Say, Izaya, I've been curious as to what you were doing before you came to Japan. I've come to the conclusion that perhaps you are a foreigner who learned Japanese. You still don't sound entirely like a native. It's faint and hard to make out...but it's there."

"What are you trying to say, Shinra? So what if I'm a foreigner? I still consider myself Japanese," Izaya said, showing no sign at all of being perturbed by his remark. Inside, he was seething inwardly, did Shinra know something about _them? _Of course, he of all people, would notice that Izaya couldn't hide his former British tongue completely! Damn it!

"I've been curious, but I've mostly been waiting for you to tell me what happened to you to make you want to move here so quickly." Shinra said politely.

Izaya narrowed his eyes. "...I don't wish to talk about it, Shinra. Briefly, I will say this: I was not originally born with the name of Izaya, but I was betrayed and nothing in my former life was real. I was going to die, so I escaped and survived. That's about all there is to know."

"I see," Shinra said, "I'm sure that must be quite painful for you to talk about."

Izaya just smirked. "You see, it happened a long time ago, so I just wish to forget about it. But it's not like you can just wake up one day and forget everything-"

Celty shot him a sharp "stare."

"Well, in some cases, I suppose the answer is yes. How I envy you. But from a young age, I learned humans are reprehensible. I suppose that's inevitable, isn't it?" Izaya said softly.

Celty watched him, quite curious as to what was happening with the man she normally hated. Before, she had simply thought him a depraved, if not sociopathic, individual with no morals, but now she was beginning to wonder if she had been wrong about him from the start.

"True enough. You never stop being enigmatic, Izaya."

Izaya chuckled. "There was someone else who taught me that, long before I came here. From a young age, I learned never to ask too many questions. Fortunately, that person is out of my life now, or I'd have killed him by now." He smirked darkly.

Celty shivered at how he said kill like it was the most natural thing in the world. He noticed and smiled sarcastically.

"Let's just say in the place I escaped from, I was intended to die, and my feelings weren't considered. In a situation like that, who doesn't wind up losing their minds? I certainly did. But I'm happier this way," He said and promptly changed the subject to other matters.

Izaya wasn't certain why Shinra was so curious about his past, but he assumed that probably he had just wanted to know as his genuine friend. Still, a part of him knew that Shinra wasn't like the others, he wasn't like Ronnie-kins or 'Mione...he'd never betray him just for the evilz.

"Hey, did you hear about that woman who was killed? I heard she was a newspaper reporter for the Daily Prophet. How awful. Are we wizards next?" A new voice said as Izaya was wandering out in the street. Instantly, Izaya ducked out of sight and watched the wizards pass by, and when he was sure they were gone, he continued on his merry little way, whistling to himself.

"Oh, hello there, Ryuugamine-kun," He purred upon seeing Mikado looking at him with wary eyes.

"What do you want?" Mikado said coldly. This was the side he never showed to Masaomi. Oh, yes, Mikado Ryuugamine had quite the cunning and calculating mind-not unlike that of Izaya himself-perhaps that was why he was so..._interested _in the boy. After all, it wasn't often that genius minds like his came into being.

"You're managing the Dollars well, aren't you?" Izaya purred, content with annoying the boy for a little bit.

"Yes, what of it?" Mikado asked coldly, giving the egotistical information broker a glare.

"...Just curious. Power corrupts, you know?"

"Oh, and like _you're _the poster child of innocence," Mikado snapped before smiling at him again. That damned smile. How the hell was he so good at hiding how he really felt?

"Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not, Mikado-kun, that's all for you to decide, isn't it?" Izaya said with a knowing smirk on his face. He could only grin a Cheshire Cat grin as he watched the boy walk away. Oh, things were getting so fun around here, and he had already sent Voldemort a note telling him Harry Potter was dead and that he could go ahead and conquer the world already.

It would certainly be interesting, two clever minds against each other, both bad...both out to achieve things only for themselves...and both, betrayed by the world for seeking knowledge.

"Well, we'll see how that ends, won't we?" He said to himself as he stepped into Namie's office and shut the door behind him.


	7. Chapter 7 Kida's discovery

**A/N:So, time to get to work on some stuff now, eh? I guess because this fic is updated so often, it's attracted more fans than usual. Or perhaps it's not like Cursed Green Eyes, Renascentia and Lelouch Potter, in that Harry was not murdered by his relatives, and merely ran away. Well, diverging from stuff is also good as well. :D Izaya is gonna have some more fun in this series as well. It hurts to read the books because of Harry's thick-headedness. **

_**"I am not pessimistic, just staring at the reality calmly,"-**_**Rio Takeuchi, from my favorite manga, Spiral. **

* * *

**Seven: **The worth of human life

Pain. It was the essence of human life, being a human meant you had to deal with those things, every second of every day. Whether it was a physical or emotional pain, most people would definitely have to agree that they expected most humans to share these emotions also. Which was why people who revelled in human suffering were abnormal.

That was how Masaomi Kida saw life, anyway. Though some people tended to see life differently, like one Orihara Izaya. He didn't quite understand how the sociopath thought, and he wasn't certain he wanted to know _how _he thought, either, as the thought of thinking about him was enough to make Masaomi feel sick to his stomach. Speaking of Izaya, what was it with him being around Kida so much lately?

The man was utterly insane, but the thing about the man that sent chills down his spine was that you never quite knew what to expect from him. He could be happy and friendly one moment and then in the other, extremely angry and vengeful. He was a sociopath, he could feign any number of emotions he wanted, but at the same time, he couldn't feel any emotions, either.

"That sick, stone-cold bastard...I hate him," He muttered under his breath, moving toward Russia Sushi, when he noticed some people dressed in weird outfits.

* * *

"...It's getting scary for us wizards. Who would've guessed Muggles are capable of murdering reporters like Rita Skeeter?" A woman with dark hair said, who was wearing old-fashioned robes.

"...Hem, hem, hence why the ministry has sent us here to investigate. We can use our wands to detect any magical user within 100 feet of us. Then we can search their wands to see whether the last spell they cast was indeed Avada Kedavra. I don't think such dimwitted Muggles would be capable of such a thing," A woman dressed in all pink said.

Masaomi immediately hid from these people, sensing that there was something off about them. They talked like they came from another world entirely. Who were they, and what brought them to Ikebukuro?

A tall witch with green robes spoke disdainfully, "I hope you're not leading us on another wild goose chase, Dolores. What, next you'll be telling us Mr. Potter is still alive and hiding out with the Muggles."

"Mr. Potter is _dead. _What kind of wizard would snap his own wand in two and then run away, never to be seen again? Surely you know that the boy was too stupid to even run away. He was Albus's lap dog from the day he was born. I'm willing to bet he went over to the Death Eaters. After all, when I heard of what Albus was planning for that poor dear, I felt awfully bad for him," The pink witch said.

"You _feel_ for people now, Dolores?" The third witch said chidingly.

'Yikes, who the hell are these people?' Masaomi thought with some trepidation.

"Well, I mean...think of it. He was brought up to die for Albus's nonsensical plan of 'Greater Good,' whatever that means, and according to his note, his best 'friends' spied on him and actually hated him. I mean, what kind of effect would that have had on his mental state? It'd be like being hit with the _Crucio _curse." The witch actually sounded sympathetic.

"...Mr. Potter is dead, Dolores, and that's all there is to it. We mustn't speak ill of the dead. We wizards have nothing to gain from being in Japan, anyway. We'll send an owl to Albus, informing him that we think the culprit was a member of the Death Eaters and think about posting a wizard here. There's no point in sticking around any longer."

'Mr. Potter? Who the hell is that?' Masaomi thought. Unfortunately, he stepped on a stone.

"I think someone might be watching us, Dolores. It could be a Muggle," The green witch said, stepping in Masaomi's direction. Masaomi stayed perfectly still. Then she returned.

"Well, what was it?" The pink witch snapped.

"There was no one there. Just my imagination," The witch lied, though her sharp eyes were in Masaomi's direction. When the other two disappeared, the third witch hesitated and then spoke to Masaomi.

"...This doesn't concern you, Muggle. Forget what you have seen."

Kida spoke up. "Are you guys a secret society or something?"

The witch did not answer. "...Yes, yes, we are. You're such a curious lad, just like young Mr. Potter. Though I must not speak of anything any further, for that would be breaching the Statute of Muggle Secrecy. So if you don't mind, I shall erase your memories of what you have seen-"

But before she could do so, an owl swooped down and brought a letter in her hands. She read it with trembling fingers. "...Albus...not this nonsense again. Severus already talked. We're not using Veritaserum and that's final!" She snapped her fingers and then vanished in a flash of light, leaving a bewildered Masaomi staring at the space where they had been previously.

"...Muggle? What the hell? Magic..._exists? _This has to be a joke, yes, a twisted joke, and who is Mr. Potter?" He grumbled to himself as he walked with his hands in his pockets.

* * *

"...I didn't know you were into pottery, Kida-kun," A familiar voice purred devilishly. Kida didn't even need to turn around to see the culprit.

"_Izaya," Kida spat. "_Were you following me this entire time?"

The man grinned, showing a predatory smirk. Any ordinary person might have thought he was a friendly person...but he did not look human to Masaomi. There was a different air about him today. It seemed...darker. "...Perhaps I was, perhaps I wasn't. Care to chat for a bit, Kida-kun?" He whispered darkly.

"Depends. You going to use magic on me to make me listen to you?" Kida said sarcastically, so much so that he didn't notice the shocked look on Izaya's face at first. Then he noticed it quickly morph into a dark look.

"...Magic, huh? Who told you that load of nonsense, Kida-kun? There is no such thing," He said darkly.

"You know something, don't you, Izaya? Tell me, what do you know about magic? What's a Muggle?"

Izaya stiffened. "..."

"Well, you going to tell me your usual lies or what?" Masaomi pressed.

"...Magic is nothing but a fantasy."

"Tell me what you know, Izaya!" Masaomi demanded.

The man looked at him for a long moment and then sighed. "I know I can trust clever old Masaomi for a bit. But I don't trust anyone completely. That's a foolish thing to do...put trust in others. Such a joke it is. Yes, magic exists, Kida-kun. There're a bunch of foolish idiots who live in a closed-off society who fool around with it and think they're better than you and I. 'Muggles.' That's their name for us. They're stuck in time, Kida-kun. If I were you, I'd keep away from bad influences like them..."

'What's with him today? He's acting completely different.' Masaomi thought. "You talk...as though you've been in that world."

An enigmatic smirk. "...Perhaps. But, like I said before, you will only get small half-truths out of me, Kida-kun. That's how it is."

"They kept talking about Mr. Potter..." Kida said.

"...Potter? That's a meaningless term, Kida-kun. Pay it no mind."

"Izaya..._who are you, really?" _Kida pressed.

Izaya glared at him with cold eyes. "...Kida-kun, I think you've asked enough questions for now. Forget what you heard. After all, all that matters is the present..." He said jovially before sticking his hands in his pockets and then walking away.

'I can't read that man's mind. What is he thinking?' Kida thought, troubled.

* * *

Izaya cursed himself for his stupidity in his mind. Because of his carelessness, he had nearly divulged his secrets to stupid Kida. Damn that boy, for being too sharp for his own good. He had sworn when he had come to Ikebukuro to bury those ghosts for good and prevent them from surfacing.

Why wasn't it working? He glared at his reflection in a puddle. He was frustrated. He needed someone to toy with. He spotted a witch wandering around and froze. It was her...Minerva McGonagall. Izaya calmed himself down and watched her out of the corner of his eye, noting how she seemed frustrated about something. He just wandered past her, determined not to make eye contact.

She didn't even give him a second glance. Izaya felt more satisfied than before as he returned home. 'I've got to stop leaving myself open. Izaya Orihara trusts in no one...that's my prime directive and I'm sticking to it.'

Bored, he kicked a pebble a few steps away until it hit someone.

"Ow! What was that for? I was trying to read the newspaper!" An irritated voice said.

Izaya smirked. "Sorry about that..."

"...Sorry? Wait a second...IZAYA, I KNEW IT WAS YOU! COME BACK HERE THIS INSTANT, DAMMIT!"

Oh, crap_. _He had really messed up this time, hadn't he? He just had to run into Shizu-chan now.

"Sorry, Shizu-chan, some other time, maybe! Farewell!" He cried.

A few moments later, he heard a chair being thrown in his direction. He knew Shizuo was tailing him. He knew that probably none of the magical people raised an eyebrow, figuring the Muggles were just nuts.

This almost reminded him of when Ron would fight with Izaya...no, he wouldn't think of those things. He smirked.

Shizuo was still persistent two blocks in. Of course, their fights drew attention.

"Izaya Orihara!" A person cried.

Izaya hated fame. He freaking hated it. That was why he ignored the press as much as possible and stuck to underground work, and if anyone saw him close-up, well, they were dead before they could rat him out.

"IZAYA, YOU ARE SO FREAKING DEAD WHEN I CATCH YOU!" Shizuo screamed some other obscenities that Izaya didn't care to list. This was all so typical.

"Shizu-chan, what vulgar language. Perhaps you need your mouth washed out!"

* * *

Fred didn't even bat an eye when he saw a familiar blond man chasing a black-haired man. "...There goes Izaya, at it again. It's like old times, huh? Doesn't it remind you of when Izaya used to be attacked by Malfoy?"

"Maybe that's why he does it, dear brother," George deduced. "He seems to enjoy it, as a matter of fact."

Both of them were willing to trust in their old friend, even if his name had changed. He was still the same in some ways and different in others. That was just how it worked, and they were used to his manic ways by now. In many ways, they loved it. Their friend had become more down-to-earth and was able to be himself.

"I just wish he wouldn't kill people," Fred muttered.

George nodded. "Blame Ron for that personality change. That would be the right person to blame."

"Either way, we can't change the past. Only ourselves," Fred said.

* * *

Albus cursed and threw his pensieve across the room in frustration, but the glass did not break. "Dammit! Dammit! Why can't I find that pawn of mine? He's not dead! I need him for my plan."

"Albus, he's dead," Phineas said from his portrait. "No wizard can possibly survive in the Muggle world for nine years. It's impossible."

"I know," Dumbledore said scathingly. "But I still need my pawn!" He looked like an angry toddler who had been deprived of his favorite toy.

"Why not relax? Voldemort hasn't done anything for years, not since he learned Potter was dead," Phineas said.

Dumbledore gave him a harsh stare, one that made the portrait blanch slightly. "I want Potter now! I want my pawn!"

"There's nothing that can be done about that," Severus Snape said as he stood in his office, still wondering why the old man bothered to even call him here in the first place. He wasn't about to tell a soul who Potter was now. He was terrified of the monster Dumbledore had unwittingly created. Dumbledore wouldn't believe him if he told him. "Potter is dead. I've looked everywhere. You're chasing a ghost. Forget the past."

"You're lying and you know it, Severus. You can't lie to me. Tell me, where is he?"

"He is not alive." Severus said. "I'm sure that I won't lie to you, Albus."

* * *

Izaya lay on his bed, twitching slightly. His head ached...it was that damned scar, the one that hadn't been aching for quite a while. It twinged every now and again, but not like this. It was burning. He dared not touch it.

If he did, Voldemort might get wind of his presence, and he didn't want that. Severus was bad enough. But the others...he couldn't bear the thought of any of them knowing who he used to be.

"Dammit...I thought I fixed this," He mumbled under his breath.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:Another update, again? Well, think of it as a good thing. :D Oh, and just because there's torture, blood, and psychopathic/apathetic views of humanity in this it does not mean that's how I feel or it does not mean I harbor any murderous views of humanity. I love humans...but not in the twisted Izaya sense. I am a perfectly sane individual attempting to make a point here...Izaya is a tragic villain here...a villain driven mad by betrayal and heartbreak who cannot turn back from the dark path he forged for himself. I hope you will not believe he will be saved. Izaya is not that man. Izaya is a psychopath, and thus has no love for humanity.  
**

**Chapter Eight A surprise guest **

* * *

It was _amazing_ how much his reflection had changed over the past nine years, Izaya thought, as he stood in his bathroom, wishing his scar would stop burning and just vanish. Though he was able to hide it, the connection to Voldemort still remained, and it would not stop lately. Though he supposed he would no longer disagree with Voldemort's methods, Izaya thought to himself and studied his reflection.

He absolutely loved how he looked now. He looked, well, for lack of a better word, _inhuman. _He knew part of his soul was already gone due to his psychosis, but Izaya actually thought being a psychopath meant you saw things in a clearer picture. He didn't have to attach too many emotions to humans, because he now knew they were out to betray him or deceive him. Best to use them before they used him.

He remembered when he had honestly been disgusted by Malfoy's method of doing things-like bullying, and then he realized Malfoy seemed oddly right, as arrogant as he had been. There was nothing more satisfying than knocking someone off their high horse or reducing the idiots of this corrupt society to a sobbing heap of melodrama. It just amused Izaya seeing how predictable people were. They never changed, but that was part of the fun that came with being a psychopath.

A wide smirk crawled up his face. It was funny how people seemed to view psychopaths as unhappy people, when Izaya had never felt more happy or blissful in his life. At Hogwarts, Izaya had always been mocked, made fun of, or stared at. His friends had spied on his every movement, the Headmaster had just manipulated him, and of course, his relatives had never showed him any sign of love or decency.

"That's enough reminiscing about the past for one day," He muttered to himself, eying his reflection one more time before straightening his collar and standing up. "That looks to be in order...shall I toy with some more humans tomorrow? Ah, this looks to be _so_ much fun!"

* * *

**So, you still there, Mr. Overprotective Boyfriend who is not cliched in the slightest?~**

_Leave 'Mione alone. I won't make myself clear again._

**Boo, you're no fun to be around. You're just a party-pooper. I can tell plainly that you must be incredibly stupid to keep on messaging me like this. **

_You're the one who keeps replying! Just leave us alone!_

**Ah, but look who's talking. You're the one who responds all the time.**

Upon seeing no response, he merely chuckled. "I figured he would react that way to me. Little Ronnie-kins is so predictable. But I figured he would react that way to me."

While he was toying around with it, a figure appeared in a flash of Floo. It was Severus, again. He glared at Izaya. "Potter, come back to Hogwarts. I won't ask again."

Izaya sneered. "Look, do you really want me back there? I've changed, you know. I'll have you know I've robbed tons of places, cheated people out of their money, engaged in blackmail, drug smuggling, prostitution, and...murdered a few people. How about that, Severus-kun? Impressed? No? Figures you wouldn't know a good criminal when you see one. I'm perfectly content living the life I live now, so if you would kindly stop poking your nose in my business, I would be happy."

Severus looked ashen. "...What _happened to you, Potter-"_

"The name is Orihara Izaya, Severus."

"You will not be so casual. Call me Professor-"

"Last I checked, Severus-kun, I am twenty-three years old, no longer a magic user, and no longer Harold James Potter. I have legally changed my name to Izaya Orihara and am a Muggle now. So you cannot force me to return to that world, nor can you bully me around like you used to. It sucks, doesn't it? Here you used to have all this power and now you can no longer use it against me. To think I was ever afraid of you. Care for a cup of tea, Severus-kun?" Izaya mocked, opening a chatroom on his computer and typing in a few words.

"What the hell is that thing, Potter-er, Orihara?"

"That's much better," Izaya chirped. "This, my fellow troglodyte, is a computer; a Muggle invention that can store information. It's much more efficient than Wizarding technology because of a device known as the Internet. You can obtain information in seconds just from searching up things, submit videos to sites. Oh, you don't even know what videos are, do you? This is far more efficient than using those ugly old owls, wouldn't you agree?" He typed in a response on the Dollars chatroom.

**Hello there, everyone. Kanra-chan is back~**

_**Hi, Iza-er, Kanra-san. Is it okay if I call you that? **_

**Call me whatever you like, Ryuugamine-kun. I don't mind. Right now, I'm a little busy with an irritating little fly who won't go away.  
**

_**Is it Shizuo-san?**_

**Nope, it's someone who has no idea about the Internet. As hard as it may seem to believe, there really are people out there who are complete morons about modern day society. This is why I can't stand humans. They really are so ignorant~ **

_**Eh? People like that really exist, Kanra-san?**_

**Yes, indeed, they do~ Such ignorant cowards they all are.  
**

"Enough of this nonsense, Potter. You will return with me at once." He cried before pulling out his wand. But Izaya was ready. He pulled out his cell phone and got ready to dial a number.

* * *

"Uh-uh-uh...you don't want to do that. Because...what would this look like to a Muggle? An unarmed guy like me having someone point something at his head...that's called assault. And, what you're attempting to do is called kidnapping, unlawful seizure of someone from his or her house in order to do stuff against their will, and also you illegally invaded my house without permission. You see, we Muggles don't take too kindly to people entering our houses without knocking or being invited. That's called unlawful entry...or you can also call it a break-in. All I have to do is dial this number and tell them I am about to be abducted...and some police will come and take you to jail. Of course, you could always seize their guns, but let me tell you, guns are deadly things. They can knock you down before you can even use a spell." Izaya warned, and dialed the number.

Severus glared at him. "Potter, listen to me, I won't take this nonsense anymore."

"Hello, surely you remember me, this is Izaya Orihara, information broker of Ikebukuro at your service! How've you been? Good. Now that we're past the pleasantries, you see, I have a bit of a problem that requires your assistance. You see, an unwelcome guest has broken into my house and is attempting to abduct me so he can make me go somewhere against my will. His name is Severus Snape and if you can't find him on the records, he's actually a shut-in who is unstable and crazy. He works for a group of child abusers who abduct children from houses at age eleven and then send them to a place where the parents can't see. Yes, yes, this is true. The children cannot have their parents come visit them. It's a place of nasty reputation...you see, the master of the school is a bit of a nutcase...and he lets the children run amok...so children have nearly been killed, and abused in the premises. I would like it very much if you could send some of my men over to arrest this man and lead him away to jail. Oh, and be warned: he is armed and dangerous and insane. Thank you." He hung up and smirked.

"You...ungrateful little..."

Izaya just looked at him and then clapped his hands. "Keep it up, keep it upppp! I love that look of utter hatred on your face, that look like you want to kill me...tell me, Severus-kun..." He said before advancing on him, "Show me more of your hatred, your desire to kill me...it gets me excited." He instantly whipped out his knife and then tackled a surprised Severus to the ground. "Go ahead...do it...do it already. Kill me."

"What's wrong with you? You're insane!" Snape cried, scared of this new Potter.

"...I'm perfectly sane. I'm seeing things the way they always were."

There was a knock at the door and a group of criminals rushed in.

"Orihara-san, you all right? Is that the man? We'll take care of him, won't we, Dotachin?" A young girl with dark hair said before glancing at her blond-haired partner, who smirked.

"We'll get to use our manga on him, won't we!" Walker Yumasaki cheered.

"Have fun!" Izaya called out the door as a terrified Snape was dragged out. "Bye, bye..."

Severus had his wand taken from him.

"Wah, look at this, Dotachin! It looks just like those wands they use in magical girl anime!" Erika cried excitedly. "Do you think we could break this in half and shove it up-"

"Do what you want with him, just don't get blood on my car," Togusa said. "And don't use gasoline."

Snape froze. "You're all nuts! Who are you people?"

"We're the Dollars. We're buddies of Izaya." Kadota said coldly. "Erika, Walker, do what you want with him."

Erika and Walker grinned as they dragged him out and dropped manga in front of him. "Do you want me to torture you slowly or painfully? How about we brand your eye with a solder? Nah, let's just break his arm for good measure."

Snape's agonizing scream could be heard for miles.

* * *

When Severus opened his eyes, his arm was in a cast, but his wand was missing and his clothes were singed because Erika and Walker had found it funny to set them on fire. He knew he couldn't go back to Dumbledore. He'd have to go to Voldemort...no, at the moment, he decided to stay in Japan and bide his time. Izaya Orihara was a danger to both himself and the Wizarding World.

"Uh-uh, you're not going anywhere, Severus. You see, I can't have you spreading word of my existence to Dumbass. So you can either die, or else pass a little message from me to Dumbledore: I'd like you to torture him a bit. Make him suffer for a bit. The old bastard grew on me a bit during the nine years I was here. After all, he's the one who was so good to me." Izaya remarked from beside him, fidgeting with his coat and moving a pawn across his board. "But his chess game won't be played by me. This time, it's me who controls the game, Severus."

"How did you get here?" Severus demanded. "Why did you do that to me? Have you no remorse?"

Izaya shrugged his shoulders. "Why should I? You never showed any to me during the years you bullied me and made me feel like crap. Why should I show the stupid ideals of pity and mercy when they just tie humans down and make them weak? Those who are my enemies get what they deserve...that's all there is to it..." He said darkly before laughing hysterically.

"You're insane...what kind of monster did Dumbledore create?"

"Why, that's simple...it's a monster created by his own cruelty. I am my own person...but I am a person who toys with humans and loves them. I simply love them! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!" Izaya cried out, his laugh scaring Severus so much that the man fled in terror with his Floo, intent on never telling a soul.

"Ah, that was some of the best fun I've had in a while," Izaya said, rubbing his sides from laughter. "Now...what should be my next move?"

"Severus has failed us, Ron. I'm afraid we'll have to dispose of him." Dumbledore said coldly.

"Sure," Ron said.


	9. Chapter 9 The troll with no heart

_**"Every man has his dark side. The brighter the picture, the darker the negative."-Rupert Thorne, from Batman TAS. Yeah, as you can probably tell, I'm a big fan of BTAS, because it's full of tragic monsters and tragic heroes, epic tales of villainy and treachery, even though they're manipulative bastards like Izaya, you can still feel bad for them, and some of that tends to rub off here. No matter how twisted Izaya becomes, you can still relate with him, right? I'm sure all of you have been put in a position before where your supposed best friend that you love so much is actually betraying you. Whether it be a family member, a close friend or lover, I've had that happen to me before, friendships that weren't real, friendships that ended for stupid reasons. But then you realize if they turned on you, then the friendships weren't real to begin with. We all get mad at someone who turned their back on us, and sadly that betrayal can factor in a lot of murder cases. One person will betray another, and then the other one will become filled with psychopathic rage and wind up murdering the other, or kill just out of love. Some of the worst criminals have killed based on betrayal. Turns out that suffering concussions can indeed induce psychosis in some individuals. So not only, was my theory about him right...it would also mean...(to be continued in the next chapter) that my theory was not just conjecture, it was fact. But enough about that, let's go on to the story.**_

* * *

**Chapter Nine~ IZAYA'S BIG SCHEME**

He twisted and turned in his sheets. As much as he tried to throw away his damned emotions, they did not completely leave him. The ghosts of the past tended to linger around him like a bad odor. He'd sworn that whenever he'd gone to Japan and become Izaya Orihara that he'd throw away all of the feelings of the past, whether it was his former feelings for his friends, Ron and Hermione, his 'loyalty' to Dumbledore, his hurt by being abused by the Dursleys and never being shown any love by them, but somehow those feelings still kept festering in his mind. They still evolved into the demons that plagued his mind.

Oh sure, they retreated far into his mind, because of his psychopathy, but when he was alone and away from people, they tended to resurface, especially when he was asleep. There wasn't really much one could do about dreams, they were just there, and Orihara Izaya knew that more than anyone.

"Go away," He muttered. He rubbed his black hair in his sleep, his spiky black hair that was sticking up. His contacts were out, of course. It showed his real eye color, his real green eyes, eyes that he desperately wanted to change, but could not. So the best he could do was hide them with the contacts, but still when he looked in the mirror, he would see those damned green eyes, the ones he hated with a passion.

"Go away," He hissed.

* * *

Izaya's dreamscape

He was back there, in that despicable place, with those damned people, Petunia and Vernon, his mortal enemies, grinning at him and making faces at him. "You're such a freak." They said, "Nothing about you has changed. Even though you've left that world, you still carry with you the markings of a freak and that'll never change, no matter where you go, my boy."

Vernon whipped out a knife. "Let's teach you your place, boy," He said as he advanced on Izaya, but Izaya grabbed his hand and started to twist it. "Let go of me, you little freak!" Vernon cried.

Izaya smirked. "What's wrong, dear _uncle, or shall I call you Vernon? _I no longer consider you my family," He spat.

"You idiot! We've been so kind to you-" Vernon spluttered, turning purple.

"On the contrary, Vernon, you showed me nothing but disdain and hatred, and because of your disdain and hatred, I was awoken to reality. But actually, you were the only ones to openly show your hatred for me, the rest of them...they all pretended to like me when in reality they despised me. For your open honesty in admitting you hate me, I thank you very much. I shall thank you with this gift..." Izaya grinned sadistically as he twisted his uncle's arm, oblivious to his screams of agony.

"How dare you do that to Vernon!" Petunia cried.

"Poor, poor, Petunia! All torn up over the death of my former mother. Perhaps I should make you suffer a little, too," He said as he pulled out a knife. "Heh...heh...HA HA HA HA HA! I should make you suffer, shouldn't I? Yes, yes, I will..."

"We'll throw you in the cupboard!" They cried.

"Now, now, enough of that. I shall show you how different I am," Izaya said. Suddenly, they grabbed Izaya and hit him in the face. It still hurt. Then the image of Albus Dumbledore appeared. "Harry...you must live with your relatives and get along with them. It is all part of your destiny."

"Screw you, old man." Izaya remarked. "I don't need your help," He spat darkly, walking away from him.

"You do not say no to me, my boy. _Cruciatus!" Albus cried, _and suddenly Izaya found himself on the floor, writhing in pain.

"Let go of me, you _bastard," _Izaya growled.

"You've become dark. I'm afraid I have no choice but to kill you. AVADA KEDAVRA!" He cried, and threw a dark curse at Izaya.

"Save me, Shinra," He whispered.

Shinra just looked at him in scorn. "This is what you get, Izaya. Now that I've learned who you really are, I have no pity for you..." He said before stomping on Izaya's hand.

"C-Celty...help me." He begged.

Celty just turned away from him.

"K-Kida-kun," He begged.

Kida glared at him. "Izaya, this is what you deserve. You're such a bastard. Not even learning about your past made me pity you. You deserve to die in hell like the little traitor you are." He spat at Izaya's feet.

"Traitor, traitor!" Ron and Hermione joined in. They were all spitting at his feet and laughing at him. All of them surrounded Izaya as he lay there, writhing in pain. And then Shizuo showed up and started stabbing him while laughing, laughing the same sort of laugh that Izaya himself normally used.

And then Voldemort showed up, wielding his wand. "Ah, if it isn't Harry Potter." Everyone else had disappeared except for him and Voldemort. "Why did you disappear? We were supposed to settle the score."

Izaya got back up, despite the pain, and then smirked. "You're right, Voldemort, as a matter of fact-I've changed my ways. I no longer ally with that dumb world. Why don't you make a deal with me? Together we can both destroy the world."

Voldemort grinned. "What happened to you?"

"I'm no longer Harry Potter, that fake, naive boy. My real name is Orihara Izaya. How about the two of us forge a new world together?" Izaya grinned sadistically and then extended a hand, which Voldemort accepted.

"I am glad to see you've changed, Harry Potter."

"That prophecy was bull, anyway," Izaya snarked.

"But I'm afraid," Voldemort said, grinning coldly, "That you must die, anyway...Izaya. AVADA KEDAVRA!"

Then suddenly, all Izaya knew was agony and pain as his scar burned viciously. He was back at Hogwarts.

"There he is. Look at the freak. What did he do to his eyes? He changed his eye color. I should've known he was a Slytherin from the start."

"Blood traitor," Ron cried.

"You think I give a flying freak about your opinions now? You've just become a brat."

"What about you?" Ron cried.

Then Izaya found himself all alone. "But this is what I've always wanted, isn't it?" He asked himself. "I always wanted to be alone and away from everyone else. This is my destiny, after all. I am the one who looks up at humanity."

"_But don't you still long for your friends?" _

"The same friends who mocked me? I have no need for them."

"_You're such a fool, Orihara Izaya. Without your friends, you will die...die, die...die..."_

_And then his scar burned even more._

* * *

And then he woke, not trembling, but still on edge, an emotion that did not normally suit Izaya. He reached up and felt his head. His scar wasn't burning. It had only been in his head. It was a dream, an illusion, a fantasy dreamt up by his own mind. "My, my, I must certainly say that I have interesting dreams, but that dream was certainly very unpleasant. Though not entirely unpleasant. No, I'm just lying to myself." He thought as he stared at his stupid green eyes in the mirror and then put in his red contacts. "Much~better. Now I look more like the me I'm supposed to look like. I wish I could change my eye color, but I can't. I must never let anyone know that this isn't my real eye color. Besides, it's not like me to show such vulnerability." He muttered.

"I hate those dreams, and I hate that world. I'm hiding from that world. Who am I to think about such fantasies? HA HA HA! Anyway...ah, Mikado-kun, Kida-kun...they'll all become tools on my board...but for now...may as well get some sleep. After all, one like me usually has nightmares, anyway. Ah, humans, I just love them so, so~ much...!" He sang to himself as he took out his contacts again and went back to sleep.

* * *

Severus Snape had never felt more irritated in his life. The Harry Potter now was nothing but a depraved psychopath who would do anything to get his own way and had hatred for everyone but himself. He thought he had seen signs of evil in the boy from the beginning, but he had never expected the boy to became such an evil villain. He knew that even Bellatrix would shrivel in horror before his psychopathy. "The death of Rita Skeeter...it must have been Orihara's doing..." He mumbled... "I have to kill him. I must warn Dumbledore." He said, and then disappeared in a flash of Floo.

* * *

Whenever he reappeared, Dumbledore and Ron were both looking at him with cold eyes.

"So, you're late..." Dumbledore muttered.

"I have not just found Harry Potter, sir, but I have a good idea of who killed Rita Skeeter. It's a Muggle, a dangerous Muggle."

"Muggles aren't dangerous, Severus. You are." Dumbledore muttered.

"I am? Why?" Snape said. "I don't understand-"

"You failed your mission. You've been associating with Muggles...time for you to pay the ultimate price. Ron, why don't you do the honors? Please, send an owl to your brother, and tell him that Severus Snape should be given a Dementor's kiss for being a traitor to the Light."

"Y-You promised me...that you would spare Harry Potter."

"Severus, I made no such promises to begin with. The boy was supposed to die in order to fulfill my own agenda."

"You don't understand! Potter isn't dead...he's...what if you've made a drastic mistake? What if you caused a monster to be born?"

"A monster...sounds just like you, Severus. A disloyal traitor who must be punished."

Ron immediately wrote a letter to Percy and then sent the owl off. He turned back to Severus and smirked. "Well, well, looks like you'll finally be getting your comeuppance, Professor." He spat.

'Looks like I'm taking this knowledge to the grave,' He thought. 'Curse you, Orihara Izaya. Curse you...'

* * *

Izaya sneezed as he walked outside. "I believe someone might have been talking about me," He said. He smirked as he whipped out his phone and typed in a message. "**Hello there, Miss Granger. Would you like to talk to me again?" **

_**Not you. I want nothing to do with you. **_

**"Oh, please. Tell me, would you like to...?" **

Suddenly, two figures appeared out of nowhere. He recognized them at once.

"Izaya!" They cried, obviously Fred and George.

"Be careful," Izaya scolded, "And please don't sneak up on me like that."

"You all right?" They said in unison. "You look pale."

"Just had a nightmare," Izaya muttered, "A nightmare...about the past. But it's okay...I can handle it."

"Sure you're all right, man?" Fred said.

"You can tell us about it," George chimed in.

"I know I can trust you, and that's good enough for me. But I don't want to trust too many people."

They sat down at a cafe as Izaya described his dreams to them. "And in the end, it turned out to be a wonderfully unpleasant, if not satisfying dream, where I got my comeuppance on the Dursleys."

"I...see." They said, "You're not freaked out by it?"

"Oh, sure...a little bit. I think this dream still means I cannot escape my inner demons, but no matter how hard I try, I still become a demon, anyway, so what's the point of struggling?"

"Such a pessimistic attitude," Fred chided, "But then again the life you live now is probably better than being killed as a child soldier for the sake of a cause that didn't make any sense. In fact, we're thinking...the old man might be trying to kill Severus Snape."

"Really now?" Izaya said, raising a brow. "Well now, stupid old Snivellus showed up a few times, asking me to return. I think I pretty much sealed his fate. He's going to die, I won't shed any tears. After all, he drove me down this path to begin with. If I hadn't been bullied by him...but then again, I probably would have wound up this way, anyway. It's all about luck. Luck chose to make my best friends spies."

"Ha-er, Izaya, you don't have to put it like that," George said.

"You two...I enjoy your company very much, but I'd advise you to stop being around me so much. You see, I have quite a reputation around here, and if people see Orihara Izaya hanging out with some people that they don't know, rumor will spread, and before you know it, that word will reach the eyes and ears of the Wizarding World and before you know it-"

"Oh, don't worry. We're being careful. To everyone else, we look like different people. But to you, we look the same as always."

"You never come without being prepared," Izaya praised.

"Do you still use magic in your everyday life, Izaya?"

"Not really," Izaya remarked, "I don't really care to. I've just been living like a Muggle and it's not too bad."

"Are you really worried about him?" Fred asked George as Izaya walked off, humming to himself.

"He certainly has changed in nine years. Then again, I suppose nine years could change a person."

"You've got that right. But I can't help but feel that he's much happier this way. You know, he was never really happy at Hogwarts. He was always being bullied, mistreated and left out, but now he's happiest because he's satisfied with who he is." George remarked agan.

"But he's a murderer and a sociopath," Fred said. "Can't we help him?"

"That's just the way he is," George said sadly, "There's no way we're telling Ron about this. May as well accept that Harry Potter is gone for good and that Izaya Orihara is here to stay."

* * *

"IZAYA!" A familiar voice boomed.

Izaya didn't even pause. "Leave me alone, Shizu-chan. I'm not in the mood for a game," He muttered.

"Izaya, I need answers!" Shizuo cried, running up to the dark-haired man and grabbing him by the collar.

"Shizu-chan, please put me down," Izaya said, "I need to breathe, you know."

"You bastard! I want answers," Shizuo said. "I've heard some rumors...I heard rumors about your past. Talk to me, you bastard. Tell me!"

"Not at all, Shizu-chan," Izaya said darkly, "You hate me, I hate you. What more is there to be said?"

"You bastard, you're just being a coward!" Shizuo cried.

"Not a coward, I'm just not in the mood to fight today," Izaya said, setting himself free from Shizuo and walking off with a cold look on his face, which stunned Shizuo, who looked at him in disbelief.

"Are you really Izaya?" He said skeptically.

"Of course I am..." He muttered. "But today, I feel like thinking on things. I'm not really in the mood for childish insults."

"The things I heard about your past...are they true?" Shizuo said angrily.

Izaya turned back and said with a smirk on his face, "Perhaps. Let's see...how should I put this, Shizu-chan? Before I met you, I went by another name. But my life was hell...I was tormented, I was betrayed by those closest to me, and I vowed to never trust anyone ever again. I ran away to Japan and decided to start anew. That's all." He said while smirking.

"What's your real name?" Shizuo demanded.

"I can't tell you. I've abandoned my birth name. Shizu-chan...that's all. That's all you need to know, Shizu-chan. I'm just surprised you're not trying to kill me right now."

"You bastard, can't you just act like you usually do? You're supposed to act irrational!" Shizuo cried.

"Shizu-chan, I'm tired and I'm bored!"

"You son of a bitch, you're mocking me!" Shizuo cried, lifting up a vending machine and throwing it at Izaya, who dodged it lazily.

"Just leave me alone," Izaya remarked. "Okay...I suppose I'll play with you for a little bit..." He said, trying to hit Shizuo a few times with his knife. Then Shizuo watched in disbelief as Izaya just walked off.

"What's wrong with him?" He remarked. "Dammit, it's not like I'm worried about him. The world would be better off without him, but what he said...is it true?" He muttered. "Betrayed by everyone he knew? How much of that is a lie?"

"I'm beginning to wonder that myself..." Was the message thrust in front of his face by a cell phone.

"Celty..." He said. "Did you see that?"

"Yes..." She typed. "What is wrong with Izaya?"

"Don't know. Maybe he's not one hundred percent the asshole that I think he is, but he's still suspicious." Shizuo scoffed.

"I'm wondering...whether or not Izaya's actually a broken person inside."

"_Broken?" _Shizuo said skeptically. "Meaning that...?"

"In other words, earlier in his life, he wasn't like this. He had empathy and the ability to relate with humans. But somehow, something made him change and warped him into the cold monster you see today."

"I see," Shizuo remarked.

"What I'm saying is, I think he's more human than you think," Celty typed, "But at the same time, he's completely inhuman and has shut off his heart. Because now, he doesn't think feelings matter. And I'm afraid that friendship and love...those words don't mean anything to him."

"Still hate the bastard," Shizuo said, lighting a cigarette, though in a way, he felt a little pity for the man. "What kind of trauma did he undergo?"

"Who knows?" Celty typed. "For him to become what he is today, it had to be something major."

* * *

"So you're back again, huh, Orihara?" Namie remarked.

"Yep, Namie-chan!" He sang playfully.

"Stop it with the yobisute, Orihara," She snapped.

"Sorry, Namie-san," He said.

"You're darker than usual today. Is something wrong?" She said apathetically.

"Nope~! I just figured out a fabulous new plan to get rid of all of my enemies-"

"Which you seem to have plenty of," She snarked.

"Not counting you?" He responded.

"Of course I hate you," She snapped.

"I ran into Shizu-chan again today. He's doing well."

His phone rattled. He picked it up and then opened it, realizing there was a new message there from Hermione.

_Who are you, really, Nakura-san? And what do you want with me? _

_**Why, just to see you. I just wanna say hello because I figure being stuck with a disgusting boyfriend like that means you'll want to hear the words of a real man!" **_

_I don't know if you're real. You're fake, just like your emotions are fake. _

_**Once upon a time ago, they weren't. But now, I have no heart. I'm the troll with no heart. But it's better that way, Granger-san. I don't have to worry about being hurt. Besides, follow my advice. Live your own life, and don't give a damn about anyone else...**_


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:Yup, another update. Thanks to One of the Colorless for suggesting I put in stuff about Izaya's sisters. Mairu and Kururi are adorable. I just know I'm gonna love writing them if they're just as messed-up and crazy as their brother is. Yes, I've made references to Frankenstein, The Troll with no heart in his body, and this time there's a Pandora Hearts reference! All rights go to their proper owners. :D Izaya will be changing his eye color. Just suspend your disbelief**

* * *

**Ten Through the sisters' eyes**

If you were to ask Mairu and Kururi Orihara if they had an ordinary life, their answer would most definitely be no. For starters, they had started out completely ordinary, with their mother and father who loved them very much, until the day a teenage boy joined their lives forever. He wasn't related to them biologically, but he became their big brother. His name was...Orihara Izaya.

Mairu knew there was something not Japanese about him, because even though he looked Japanese and spoke the language perfectly, there was just something about him that _wasn't. He _seemed...almost...fierce. At first, Mairu and Kururi didn't know what to do with this stranger...this stranger who was pretending to be their older brother, an older brother was someone they'd never had in their life. They were curious about him, but wary, too. Would he try to steal their parents from them? Was he an imposter who was out to do them harm?

At first, the girls were wary of their new older sibling, but then they learned he had a soft spot for little kids, and they warmed up to their older brother, Izaya. Soon they were bragging to their classmates at school about their great older brother, Izaya, and even whenever he became famous later on for being an information broker who was ruthless at extracting information out of people, Mairu and Kururi also started dabbling in little 'crimes' of their own; usually little recondite acts of rebellion. Mairu was the talkative one, the one who would talk back to the teacher after he'd dared to tell her that Izaya was just an adopted brother, not a real one.

Mairu's response? "No, Iza-nii _is _our real big brother and that's all that matters to us!" When she had repeated these words to Izaya, he had just looked thoughtful for a few moments before he smiled and told her that she'd said the right thing and that the teacher deserved what he'd gotten for being a prick, in his words, before their mother had scolded him.

He may not be the perfect older brother, he may not be related to her by blood, he may be very twisted and messed-up, but so was she. She loved her older brother, so no matter what stupid stuff he had done in the past, she still considered him her family, which was why she had been surprised when he reacted so strongly to her asking him about his former life.

His reaction to it had been startling to the little girls. He just stared at them both for a long moment.

"Iza-nii, what's wrong? Did you remember something unpleasant?" Mairu asked.

"No, nothing at all, Mairu. It's just that my former family was not so welcoming. They were, as you could say, demons in the guise of humans."

Both Mairu and Kururi looked vaguely interested now. "Go on, continue, tell us some more, Iza-nii!" Mairu said. Kururi nodded her head, too.

"Yes, in fact, they had a really fat, plump boy, who they called their precious, precious boy, when in reality he was a demon inside, and the child that they neglected and mistreated was me. But I escaped from there, I became the hero who figured out a way to slay those demons, to retreat from them. So, I, the hero am lying in wait."

"Iza-nii, you're the hero. Shouldn't you be all out in public, waving to your fans?"

Izaya's eyes dimmed. "Forget I said hero, then. I'm the villain, lurking in the darkness, waiting for a chance to slay those villains, because I had a grudge against them. Evil has standards, you see." Izaya said before smirking at them.

"Yay! Iza-nii's the villain! I like where this story's going!" Mairu said, while Kururi nodded her head in interest. Sometimes he would tell them little things about his past, though not too much. Fortunately for him, his sisters tended to repeat the things he said, but no one believed them, because they were the _sisters _of _Izaya Orihara, Japan's biggest rumormonger. _That meant that no one tended to take them seriously, which was a good thing in Izaya's case.

* * *

He sighed, then as he trudged back home.

"You're home awfully early. Aren't you going to go out and terrorize Ikebukuro again?" Namie said sarcastically.

"Ah, Namie-chan, I figure I'll be going to bed early, seeing as...I have a house here."

"This is my place, you realize?" Namie said darkly.

"Yeah...? So?" Izaya said cheerfully, stifling a yawn.

"Whatever you're dealing with, you can deal with on your _own._ You don't need to sleep here."

"Oh, I can, and I will, Namie-chan, er, Namie-san. Sorry." He chirped.

"Some days I'd like to punch you into next week," She snarled under her breath as she watched the utterly irritating information broker.

"Say, Namie-san...?"

"_Yes?" _She said, gritting her teeth together, very infuriated by this irritating man.

"What would you do if I told you magic was real, like I said before...and that there's an entire magical world...?" He said.

"Yes, Orihara, another one of your fantasies," She snarked.

"Oh, but this one is very much real, Namie-san. And these people believe themselves better than the rest of us. I know full well you won't understand half of what I'm telling you, because it seems like a stupid little fairy tale..._if only this were nothing but a quaint little fairy tale, hmm? _I read that in a manga where there was a crazy man talking about his life and how messed up it was and how no one believed him when he told them the truth."

"Seiji likes to read those," She muttered.

"Oh, really? Then it seems we do share something common, Namie-san!" He chirped.

"Perhaps," She said, not exactly interested in the manga, anyway.

"Well, Namie-san, I shall be going to bed. Want to read me a story or give me a kiss?" He said sarcastically.

"Hell no. Go to your room and just _shut up."_

_"_Yes, indeed, Namie-san!" Izaya said, doing what looked like a break-dance.

Then he suddenly vanished. Namie stared with wide eyes, as did the latter when he wound up on his own bed.

"How did I...?" He began, but stopped. Somehow, he had just produced a Floo. 'Oh, crap,' He thought. 'Izaya, contain your magic, quickly, quickly, before they notice. The last thing I want is for them to notice and then they'll find out that I'm Harry Potter. Or I was Harry Potter. I don't want that to happen.'

Quickly, he managed to calm down his magical aura and tame it into the muggle one. But at times, it resurfaced like that and became a pain in the ass. "Much better," He said while stifling a yawn. "I love you humans so, so much...I'll just go to bed now." He muttered as he lay there.

Namie looked in on the criminal informant and noted in puzzlement that he was still wearing the same clothes he had been before. His black hair was still as untidy as it ever was.

It was then as he was lying there, asleep, that she happened to notice that there was a scar on Izaya's face. She could only make out the top of it, because Izaya's black bangs covered most of it. 'Wonder what he got that from?' She thought. She frowned, and then her eyes widened as he opened an eye and she realized it wasn't red, but green.

'Why are his eyes green and not red? Contacts? I should've figured...red isn't exactly a natural eye color. Who is Izaya, really?'

"...You didn't see...did...you? Did you...see...my...contacts?" He muttered.

"Yes, I did. What's it to you, Orihara? I don't care to go around spilling someone's secrets-especially when they're as disreputable as you. Hell, half of the rumors going around about you aren't true or false."

"...Don't say anything," He mumbled, "And I would like to change my real eye color...could you do that for me...?"

"Sure," She snarked, "Why don't you ask your friend Shinra to do that?"

"...Good point. I'll ask him and then I won't have to look at these damned green eyes...I hate them. By the way, Namie-san...what do the rumors about me...say?"

"Well, there are rumors out there saying that you're gay, an insane psychopath, a god in the guise of a human being, a walking internet troll in the guise of a human being, a demon or a devil, and some people even say that you're a magical person who goes around luring people into their castle. I don't believe any of it, though."

"Warlocks...I wish you wouldn't bring up that stuff..." Izaya muttered, running one of his slender fingers through his black hair.

"Orihara...what's with the scar?" She asked.

"...What?" He mumbled.

"You have a scar on the top of your head."

"Oh...this...I got it a long time ago...before I became the me I am now, I was hit..."

"Before you were what?" Namie said in confusion.

"Never mind," He said, his hands still clenched protectively around his black hair, it was as though he was trying hard to prevent something from being seen. But what?

'I suppose I could do him a favor and change that eye color of his,' She thought, 'Though red probably isn't what he wants.'

The next morning, Orihara Izaya woke a mess. His clothes were all covered in sweat, his hair was spiked up like usual. He glared at his eyes in the mirror. "Namie-san, did you see?" He said in a calm voice.

"Yes, I saw," She said, "And yes, I can change your eye color if you wish. I'm aware that you've already done eye surgery."

"That was just to correct my vision." He said.

"Why the red contacts?" She said sharply.

"Just so I could change my eye color. If you could change it to a permanent red, that'd be nice."

"I'll tell you when it is."

"Thanks!" He chirped before putting in his contacts.

'How odd. And all this time, I never thought to ask if his eyes were real. Guess pretty soon they will be.'

* * *

Percy Weasley couldn't help but shake his head at his brother's stupidity. Had he been the only one...the only one to see how evil Dumbledore was, and that he was playing them all for fools? Harry Potter...it was unfortunate what had happened to that boy, he thought, as he shook his head in that office.

Harry had just been a pawn in the old man's game. Even then, the boy had been too naive for his tastes. A wide-eyed staring little boy? Oh, Ron...Percy knew full well what kind of family his family was, which was why he had moved away from them. They were spying on their best friend, Ron was, and he acted like it was no problem. That had pissed Percy off, and that had been one of the reasons he had gotten into a fight with his mother.

He questioned why it was okay for them to do this to a young child. After some pointed arguments where, Dumbledore, Dumbledore, and Dumbledore had been the main excuse for everything, Percy had fled the house, fled that accursed life, back to a better, new one.

"Is it true that Rita Skeeter's been murdered, Minister?" He said to the Minister, who flinched.

"Y-Yes. I hear a Muggle could've done it." He whispered.

"Muggles are too stupid for this kind of thing, wouldn't you agree, Cornelius?" Dolores Umbridge said. Dolores had absolutely no tolerance for idiocy in her job, and she wanted her job to be done in the best way possible.

"Why are you so irritated, Miss Umbridge?" He asked, like the suck-up he was.

"Well, you see," She sniffed, "I had to be sent to Japan with McGonagall-such an unpleasant old woman she is, and anyway she insulted my cats. But I ran into a polite young man with golden eyes who complimented my outfit. Oh, then McGonagall asked me if I would be spreading rumors that Harry Potter is alive."

"Definitely he's dead, no one can survive without their wands," Umbridge said.

"Yes, yes, indeed," Umbridge said, "It's not like anyone will miss him, though."

"Yes, that is so. I doubt there is anyone here who misses Harry Potter."

Percy blinked upon receiving a letter from Ron. "Finally." He said as he finished reading over it.

"What is it?" Fudge asked.

"It appears that we've found Severus Snape guilty of being against the light, according to Dumbledore." Percy said.

"According to Dumbledore? It always is, the old crackpot. I don't know if I'm losing my mind, but some days it seems to me like that old man is an insane megalomaniac."

"So, shall we give him the dementor's kiss?" Umbridge said, "I'd prefer it sooner rather than later. I can't wait to see him die."

Everyone else around her shuddered at her lack of empathy.

* * *

A few weeks passed after Izaya got the surgery done, and it worked. He looked just like he was supposed to do so, no damned green eyes. Finally his body had changed to suit his mind and now he was happy. He went to flip open his cell phone and saw several messages. One, surprisingly, was from Celty, another one from Shinra, and then another one from Fred and George.

He opened the Shinra one first.

**Dear Izaya, are you all right? We heard that you didn't even want to fight Shizuo. We haven't seen you running around in Ikebukuro for a few weeks, so we wondered if you were okay.**

'Good old Shinra. He's still worried about me.' He muttered. "I care about him so much," He muttered under his breath.

_'Izaya, what's wrong with you?' _Celty wrote.

"_**I think you already know, Celty-san. I'm a psychopath." **_

**Izaya, are you all right? We tried contacting you a few times, but you didn't answer. There's bad news coming, Izaya.**

'What bad news?' Izaya thought. He blinked and then read over it again and then his eyes widened.

_**H**_**ermione has asked to take a vacation. Apparently, she's going to come see us here. Either that, or else we can just use Floo to go back to England. We know enough of the wizards have been skulking around here and we don't want them to find you, Izaya. So farewell for now. We're leaving. **

Izaya read over it, his brow rising ever so slightly. He stared at his reflection. "She won't recognize me now that I have permanent red eyes. Great. This is all so great. She hasn't sent me any messages, either."

* * *

"Hurry up and make me my dinner!" Ron cried.

Hermione had a bruise on her head. Apparently, gathering time to prepare dinner was not enough for him. She rolled her eyes, wondering why she put up with this crap.

Yup, life in Ikebukuro was as boring as ever for Izaya...skulk around a bit, see whether anyone was on chat, do some dealings with his clients...all rather boring. Yet so far, there had been no sign of him yet. Izaya wondered where he was, as he sat reading on a park bench, utterly bored. Everyone around him recognized him at once and either stared at him in open-mouthed awe or decided to sit somewhere else.

"I wonder where he is...big, strong, blond Shizu-chan. It's like dear old Malfoy." He whispered.

He heard someone walking, and then his eyes lit up. "Oh, there you are, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo looked very angered, like always, but also very curious.

"Are you going to act normal for once, flea?" Shizuo growled. "Let's do what we always do."

Izaya smirked. "I was afraid you weren't going to ask."


	11. Chapter 11 Forgetting Life I knew

**A/N:I like all the attention this story's getting. Recently I went through and edited up most of the chapters so they look much better. I hope you like this and continue to do so in the future. I gotta say, I'm nearly finished with the Half-Blood Prince and I'm not too impressed with Harry/Ginny and Dumbles dying. I mean, I'm happy he's dead, but what's the point? Harry's just gonna angst instead of doing anything useful and becoming a proper protagonist. I just wonder why he didn't snap in the series to begin with. **

* * *

**"**_**It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane.**_

_**Philip K. Dick- brainyquotes. com**_

* * *

Eleven: Izaya's dilemma

Nine years had passed since her Harry had disappeared, and still Ginny Weasley couldn't get him out of her mind. That was why, when Hermione mentioned that the Weasley twins were in the non-magical country of Japan, she had immediately been worried about their safety. Didn't they know what kind of people the Muggles were? The Muggles there and everywhere were cruel to those with magic.

What were they doing there that was so important, anyway? They hadn't written back to them for so long, except to torment Ron with spiders and just tell him that he needed to stop mistreating Hermione. This much was true, she thought. Poor Hermione had made a mistake in marrying her stupid brother, Ron. That was why Hermione was either going to come to Japan to see the Weasley twins, or else they were going to come back themselves.

As she thought over these things, the door to her room opened and Molly came in. She noticed that Ginny was looking at a picture of Harry and frowned. "Sweetie, why do you still pine for a dead boy? He's dead."

Ginny shook her head. "I know...but it feels like he's alive...somewhere."

Molly patted her daughter's head. "I know how you feel, but he's dead and a traitor. Even if he is alive, he's not worthy to be our hero. He ditched us when it was convenient and refused to let Dumbledore help him. How can we honestly love someone like that?"

Ginny shook her head. "Mom, what we did was wrong. We should have respected his freedom but instead we drove him to run away. It's our fault he left us in the first place. If we hadn't been spying on him and treating him like he was nothing, this wouldn't have happened. If I find Harry again, I will not betray him again."

Molly hit her daughter. "Why would you say such a thing? Dumbledore knows what's best for us. Harry needed us...he couldn't survive on his own without us...that's why you need to accept the fact that if he is alive, I will not let you see him again."

"Screw you, I'll do what I want!" Ginny cried, before running out.

Molly shook her head as she stared at the picture of Harry Potter. "I don't understand what she saw in you. You got what you deserved when you left us. Dumbledore was too merciful on you. He should have punished you more harshly for ditching us. I hate you."

Just then, a pair of familiar twins apparated in the room. They stared at their mother. "Mother, we're back," They greeted.

Molly's eyes filled with unshed tears then as she embraced her sons, crying. "Why did you leave? You could've just stayed with us."

"Woman, it's all right. We're allowed to take vacations every now and again. Japan was boring, but there were some interesting people. Did you know Japan is full of gangs and Russian Sushi? Oh, and there's a heavy guy who can snap wands in half!"

"Muggles are such weirdoes. You should stay away from them, sweeties. You don't want to hang out with criminals."

Fred and George just smirked as they went into their rooms, and whipped out their cell phone. They stared at their old friend's number. There was a text from him, under the name of 'Kanra-san.'

**No one knows that I'm still alive, do they? Well, tbh, I don't give a damn. But still, tell me what those ignorant fools are doing. Be careful of how you message me-I'll change my number and names as often as I can.'-Kanra**

"Smart Izaya. He always thinks with his head." Fred whispered in awe.

"Do you think Dumbledore put something on him when he was here to suppress his intelligence? He was never this smart before." George suggested.

"That sounds absurd." Fred said, "Nonetheless, it might have some merit. We'll keep in touch with him, but we'll try not to contact him too much, lest Dumbledore learns of his existence. I know he'll be just fine by himself. He's adapted to living as a Muggle so much it's so incredible. I love this new person he's become."

George said, "I know."

Meanwhile, Hermione wondered why Nakura-san hadn't sent her any messages in a while. 'He's just a sociopath who was toying with you.'

* * *

Izaya sighed as Shizuo chased him around. "Shizu-chan, now I'm in the mood for some fun!" He chirped, ignoring the screams of delight some girls sent his way.

"What on earth are the Muggles doing?" A witch said, watching the display in disbelief. "Are those two...fighting in the middle of a city? Are they nuts?"

"What are you, an idiot?" The girl said. "You've never heard of Shizuo Heiwajima and Izaya Orihara? The two of them hate each other with a passion and always fight out in the open. It's world-famous!"

The witch watched with wide eyes as the blond man picked up an air conditioner and threw it at the dark-haired young man, only for him to dodge lithely in a manner not unlike that of a cat.

"Gonna have to try harder than that, Shizu-chan!" Izaya taunted.

"You bastard! I want to know why you didn't want to fight me yesterday! Tell me your secrets!"

"Now, now, Shizu-chan, that'd be no fun. The whole point of keeping secrets is never to unveil them, you realize?" Izaya taunted as he came towards Shizuo with his knife and barely missed cutting Shizuo's arm.

"Ah, yes, this is what I missed! I love it when you go all out on me, flea. It makes my day that much more enjoyable!" Shizuo boomed, throwing a vending machine at Izaya, who dodged.

"Shizu-chan, you suck at doing this lately. Something a little bit more original would do!" Izaya taunted again, throwing another blow to the side.

His phone rang and he picked it up. "Hmm...looks like the Dollars are doing something else again..." He whispered. 'So Ryuugamine-kun is still operating, huh?'

He smirked. "Shizu-chan, let's finish as soon as possible. I assume your younger brother is coming into town to see you, isn't he?"

"How did you know?" Shizuo growled.

"I'm an informant. Do you think I'm empty-handed?" Izaya taunted before laughing a cold laugh that scared the crap out of the witch, who ran away.

"What crazy Muggles!" She exclaimed, causing several girls to laugh at her stupidity.

"Shizu-chan, you've been distracted!" Izaya cried, starting to run away.

"YOU BASTARD, JUST BE BRAVE AND WIN A FIGHT, DAMMIT! RUNNING AWAY IS NO WAY TO PLAY A GAME!"

Izaya froze. "Running away is okay...if your life was on the line, Shizu-chan, would you stay behind and let yourself die? I'd rather be alive than dead."

"What are you saying, flea?" Shizuo said.

"Shizu-chan, you've dropped your guard. So now, let's part ways!" He exclaimed as he left.

He flipped open his phone and saw a message from _them. _He paused.

'**Yo. Got your message. We're glad you're all right. Mom's being possessive again and said some nasty stuff about your old self.' **

_'__**I see. She always was a nasty old bitch, wasn't she?' **_

* * *

He continued his leisurely stroll when he wandered into Kida again, who glared at him.

"Izaya...what are you doing skulking around here?" He spat.

"Just talking to some old...friends of mine." Izaya said cheerfully.

"...What do you know about magic, Izaya? The other day, you refused to tell me anything. Tell me what you know." Masaomi said coldly.

Izaya paused. "Hmm...let me say this...the answer is no. I tend to keep that sort of information to myself...let's just say I'd like to pretend that part of my life never happened. Isn't that simple enough, Kida-kun?"

Masaomi frowned. "What's with you and showing emotion? You don't show emotion. You're a sociopath."

"A sociopath I might be now, but I wasn't always, Kida. I once was foolish like you, I believed humans were kind and wonderful...but thankfully, my eyes were opened to something like that. Let's just say...I was used and betrayed by those who claimed to be my friends...they wanted me to die for something I didn't understand...so I _snapped and became wise. _Don't put too much trust in others." Izaya said before laughing darkly.

"...Another one of your lies, Izaya?" Masaomi said. "I don't believe one word of it."

"Oh, don't you? Then see this scar on my head? I got it from my old 'friend' when he decided to kill me by whacking me on the head, which gave me a concussion. That in itself is proof enough, Kida-kun. I don't lie about stuff like that." Izaya said darkly. "And don't repeat these words to anyone else."

"Who are you, really?" Kida asked. "What else are you hiding?"

"...I'm a demon, Kida-kun, one who thirsts for revenge on those who betrayed him. That's all. See you around, Kida-kun!" He said sarcastically before waving goodbye.

"...What in the world does he mean? Izaya, being like a human? That's absurd...utterly absurd..."

'It's more likely than you think,' The headless rider typed out.

"You can talk?" Kida said in bewilderment.

The headless rider typed, 'I deal with Izaya and he's more complex than you think. I think he's broken deep down inside but has decided to be a psychopath to 'survive' and push away everyone else.'

"So how do you know this, Mr. Rider?"

The rider tensed and then sighed. 'I'm a girl, actually."

"What?" Kida gasped. "How is that possible?"

'Wasn't it obvious by looking at me anatomically?' The rider said, pointing at her chest. 'Honestly, you'd think people would know.'

"Whoa...you learn new things every day." Masaomi breathed.

'Your friend Mikado knows, too,' Celty typed. 'My name is Celty.'

"How does Mikado know you?" Masaomi asked.

Celty paused. 'I can't say that. His secrets are safe with me. I don't want to encroach upon his life. Ask him if you want.'


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm reading the Deathly Hallows now and I'm...bored, as usual. They praise Dumbledore way too much for my liking. **

**Seriously, he's this dude we barely know and yet every single character flat-out, as I put it before, **_**sucks up **_**to this guy. **

**It's always "Harry, talk to Dumbledore," Oh my god, we're in horrible trouble, come save us, Headmaster! Don't they have a will of their own?  
**

**Oh, I'm beginning to like the anti-Dumbles thing written by Rita Skeeter. **

**I just wish the author had enough common sense to portray a writer in a better light, it just makes you think we're all horrible people. Bleah. **

**Plus, book Harry has about as much personality as a potato. **

**Anyone else feel Izaya and Shizuo resemble Tom and Jerry's chases? Shizuo is like Tom, the stupid cat who throws things, and Izaya is Jerry, the small mouse who's a smart alec who ticks off people with his words.  
**

* * *

**Twelve Voldemort's musings**

Voldemort was known by many names, some of which he hated, others which were all too-fitting for someone as 'dark' as he was. You-Know-Who was an exceptionally annoying one for him, why did people seek to call him something that inane? Honestly, did people not have enough respect for him to call him by the name he preferred to go by-Voldemort? It was infuriating, really, to try and even interact with anyone without them all shaking in their boots in fear.

Fear was a very useful emotion, true. Voldemort did enjoy his respect and loyalty, but if there was one thing he was not, it was a monster. He was not originally a monster; that had been started by the man who was responsible for ruining his life; the one and only Albus Dumbledore. If, at the beginning, when that kind old man had shown his true colors, perhaps he wouldn't have been swayed.

But Albus was very good at pretending to be what he was not. Oh, play the part of a young, kindly headmaster and most fools would fall for the sham right away, but Voldemort had never been convinced that the Headmaster was always what he seemed. He just seemed, for lack of a better word...hollow. Like he was someone pretending to be human (rather like himself now, he had to add with a hollow chuckle) or just plain crazy.

It was annoying how easily Dumbledore wormed his way into people's trust just by saying a few little words and then he had those puppets wrapped around his thumb. It was most certainly disturbing to see how easily he was obsessed with little boys, particularly with Potter. Voldemort felt annoyed when he saw how easily the boy bent to Albus's control.

He didn't resist at all, instead he just was a lifeless puppet. Frankly, the boy annoyed him and he didn't have any patience for those who failed to use their intelligence to the best of their abilities. He wanted that boy dead, not because he followed the prophecy, but because he was not only a nuisance, he was also the tool Dumbledore was implementing for his own sinister purposes.

What had surprised him the most was when the boy had vanished after the war was over. According to the papers, he had snapped his wand in two (a very dishonorable thing for a wizard to do. A wizard didn't just snap his wand unless he wanted to lose his magic altogether, which would mean existing like a foolish Muggle) and had left an angry note calling out Albus for his stupidity. Voldemort had laughed when he had read the note. The boy had some common sense for once.

For an honest moment, Voldemort wondered if the boy would perhaps come here to join his side. But he hadn't. He was just gone...his magic couldn't be detected anywhere. But he was gone. Whether he was dead or alive he could not tell. He had tested the boy's scar to see if it would lead him to him, but to no avail.

Still, something in him whispered that the boy could not be dead. He was most likely in hiding somewhere. But where? Harry Potter could not hide forever. Albus had a lot of influence in the most unlikely of places.

Then, he had been startled to feel the boy's magical aura a day ago. It was small and faint, but it was there. It was..._darker and more threatening. _The boy had definitely gone dark. He had come to his senses. So where was he? How had he been able to hide for so long?

* * *

He didn't turn around when he heard a smooth voice in his room, one that spoke of elegance and of someone quite cunning. "_It's been a long time, _Voldemort-san. How have you been?" Cold, but polite.

Voldemort turned around to see a tall young man dressed in Muggle attire; some sort of black jacket with fur trimmings and black pants, wearing a golden ring on his fingers.. He had spiky black hair and blood-red eyes. "Who are you?" Voldemort demanded, politely but refined. One did not simply barge in without an invitation.

The boy's smile widened into a predatory smirk. "Why, I'm hurt that you don't recognize me, Voldemort-san. Of course, I have changed over the past nine years. I've shed my skin like a snake. I am the boy who once was a spoiled child, now grown into a lover of humanity," He said coldly.

"...Harry Potter, I presume? What are you doing in Muggle get-up?" Voldemort said in confusion, quite confused at the boy's air and way of carrying himself. It was like this person was a stranger.

The man grinned wickedly, sticking his hands in his pockets. "...It only makes sense that you don't recognize me, Voldemort-kun. After all, I've changed in so many ways. I no longer go by the name Harry Potter. My name is Orihara Izaya, an informant and criminal. How do you do? I've come to discuss some business," He said casually before pulling out a chess piece and flicking it in the air.

"...What happened to your magic?" Voldemort questioned. The boy seemed...odd.

"...I got rid of it. You don't have to worry, I've turned my back on that old fart. Of course, I no longer care about anyone except myself. When my 'friend' hit me on the head that day, he unleashed my true self. I am now a lover of humanity and what some would call a sociopath who doesn't care for society or nonsensical rules. I just love putting people in difficult situations and seeing what happens!" He chirped cheerfully.

Voldemort couldn't repress a smirk. "I take it you'd be a Slytherin now if you were still magical," He said dryly.

"I still use magic from time to time. What I would like to discuss is...revenge. Revenge against the man who ruined our lives. What do you say? We both get to use our pawns and show the world our true selves!" He said coldly, but smirking a cold smile all the same.

This was the side of the boy Voldemort had always longed to see, the dark side, repressed by Albus's controlling, egotistical nature. It had always been there, if not controlled.

"Oh, yes. Tell me, where have you been all this time?"

"Japan, my dear Voldemort," He crooned, ignoring Voldemort's annoyed look as Izaya sat down and looked at him in interest. "You won't believe how easy it is to make a new living there. There are so many interesting Muggles. I love them all-they're so much more interesting than that old bastard's little puppets ever were. Your hatred for me was real. But what you hated was an illusion, fabricated by the very man we both detest. What do you say?"

Voldemort was indeed feeling very glad, indeed. "I am glad you saw reason. Will you really ally with wizards, seeing as you don't consider yourself one anymore, Mr. Izaya?"

"As long as we do it on our terms and we don't come to think of ourselves as friends or any other foolish human inventions, that'd be _just_ fine with me!" He sang as he sat down. "I don't think you'd honestly tell a soul where I am. That would defeat the purpose of our game, would it not?"

The boy was astute, so much unlike the unobservant, dense boy he'd remembered so well. "...All right. But we must kill Dumbledore."

Izaya smirked gleefully. "I've been fooling around for a bit, but now it's time to get to work. First, I'm going to toy with the book nerd for a bit."

* * *

Hermione didn't expect the Weasley twins to come back home for the holidays, but they had. Also, for some strange reason they seemed to be using phones a lot, too. She wondered if possibly they were connected to someone they had met back in Japan.

"...Japan? You can come with us if you want." Fred offered. He glanced down at his phone in skepticism, wondering if this was really all right with his old friend.

'_Is it really okay if we bring her to Ikebukuro, Kanra-san?' _

The reply came back a few moments later.

**Sure, I've been dying~ to meet her. I don't care one way or the other, just make sure she learns who's been toying with her. This will be fun! **

George raised a brow in amusement. "I think it's okay. We'll take you to Japan with us in a day or so. You wanted to know more about this 'Nakura-san,' am I right? Well, he said he'd like to meet you in person, so we'll let him decide when he wants to see you."

"So he is a guy," She repeated.

Fred and George burst out laughing. "Of course he is...well, wait and see for yourself."

It turned out that they were living in a ward of Japan known as Ikebukuro, and apparently, the man known as Nakura-san lived there, too, judging by his Japanese name.

"He said he'll meet you on the roof of this building soon. Just wait for him. He'll come," Fred and George said, as they disappeared. Hermione frowned. Was this really a smart idea to meet the man she'd been talking to online? But she wanted to know who he was, and how he knew so much about her.

* * *

Twenty minutes passed and Hermione was beginning to think she'd been deceived when...

"Hello there," A smooth and elegant voice said, definitely with an accent. She turned around to see an Asian man standing there, looking at her in amusement. He wore a black jacket with white trim and black pants. He had quite a pale face, and was somewhat muscular, with black hair that stuck up at funny angles. His eyes were blood-red. "Granger-san, I am Nakura-san."

"You've messaged me all this time?" She said.

The man just smirked at her. "That's right. I'm saddened to see that you don't recognize me, _'Mione." He _whispered before producing a predatory smirk.

"How do you know that name?"

"Hmm...how should I put it?" The man said before doing a little dance, "I know a lot about you. Your husband's name is Ron, you like to read and study a lot, all sorts of boring stuff," He muttered. "You have a cat named Crookshanks. Surely you realize who I am now." He said before smirking.

"H-Harry?" She stammered, in complete disbelief.

The man just grinned maniacally at her. "There was a time when I went by the name Harry Potter, but it's not my name anymore, nor is it legally or mentally," He said before getting up on the railing and walking around.

"Don't do that, Harry. You could fall."

"My name isn't Harry Potter anymore. My name is Izaya Orihara. I'm an informant. I've found that I rather enjoy living the life of an ordinary person, 'Mione. I wouldn't trade it for anything, much better than living in that stale old world, with those _stupid people, and that stupid Dumbledore." _

"Dumbledore isn't stupid! He's missed you, Har-"

"Call me _Izaya,_ please," Izaya said darkly, glaring at her. "And no, I have absolutely _no_ tolerance for humans who like to use others in their own game."

"Then that means you were the one who sent me all those messages with you mocking Ron and laughing at me-why, why would you do such things? We're friends! I told you already, Harry, that I'm sorry. I'm honestly sorry for what I did."

Izaya looked at her for a long moment and then he burst out laughing. "Really? _Sorry,_ you say? I certainly didn't hear you say sorry when Ron hit me over the head, 'Mione...stupid little bookish 'Mione, always lost in her own little world. Then again, the Magical World is full of such ignorant fools."

Izaya jumped back down and continued to smirk at her. "The Muggle world is so much better than that depraved world. I will never again return to that world where I was betrayed and used. You have no idea what that pathetic asshole Runt's blow to the head did to me. It woke me up. You could also say it made me psychotic. This is the real me. Let me explain it better: I love all humans, but I have nothing but contempt for wizards and witches. What a cowardly race they are; they all abandoned me when it was convenient. Even though you claim to be sorry, that's okay with me, but I don't give a damn."

He ran his hands through his black hair while smirking at her.

"...I don't care about anyone except myself. Self-preservation, you realize? All other humans do is hurt others. If I want to survive, I just have to hurt other people. You humans really are such fun little pawns to manipulate. I mean, both you and Ron were just using me, pretending to like me while confessing all my secrets. That innocent little boy you used to play pretend with is _gone. This is my true self," _He said before advancing on her. "Well? Are you going to hate me?"

"You're not the Harry I knew. You're nothing but a monster; a stone-cold psychopath."

"Ah, call me a psychopath if you want, but the true psychopath is Dumbbelldore. He's just using others like he sees fit, oh, and by the way..." He said before lifting up a bloodstained knife, "Who do you think it was who killed Rita Skeeter?"

"Why would you...why would you kill her?" Hermione said, tears spilling out of her eyes.

"You see, there are some humans who can't be allowed to live, especially those who know too much. When I say informant, I mean I work for anyone-for anything."

"Orihara!" A black-haired woman said, "Is this one of your customers?"

"Not exactly, Namie-san," The boy said casually.

"Well, if she's not one of your clients, just hurry up and finish whatever business you have with her and then we can leave!" Namie said before skulking off.

"Will do, Namie-san," He said cheerfully.

"Wait, Har-!" Hermione said.

"Just so you know, I don't hate you. It's just that I don't give a damn anymore." He pointed out at the darkness. "You see some of those buildings over there? I watched some girls jump off of there. It was quite fun seeing their blood splattered there. It just reminded me of how foolish I was...that back then I honestly wanted to die for the sake of a stupid cause...so, 'Mione, Harry Potter is dead. There is only me, Izaya Orihara. You cannot bring Harry Potter back, forget about him. He's as good as dead. HA HA HA HA! Look at your face, look at your _damned _face! It's so hilarious."

"You're nothing but a monster."

"Call me a monster, 'Mione, but so is that little plastic world you live in. I turned my back on it, I'm making my own decisions. Come now, surely you're afraid of Ron. Surely you're sick of him and his smothering family. Come and join me-my life is _always _interesting."

He offered his hand to her, but she smacked it away.

"You can't be the Harry I used to know, it's impossible."

"How about this?" He said, before brushing his black hair aside to reveal a scar.

"But your eyes-"

"They've been permanently changed because I couldn't stand them. They were ugly and hideous."

"Your other scar...?"

"Oh, I covered it over. It still hurts, but...well, I don't really give a damn about my old self anymore. It was just a lie. What's the point of lying? I just try to be honest," He said ironically.

"I'm telling Ron and Dumbledore-"

"Oh no, you won't. You won't tell anyone," Izaya said. "I've lived the last nine years of my life in peace and I enjoy it. I enjoy every moment of it." He whisked out his knife.

"You wouldn't-"

"If I really wanted to, I could kill you here and now. If your life with that idiot is so bad, why don't you jump to your death?"

"Don't you have any heart?" Hermione moaned, heartbroken at this knowledge.

"Not anymore. Like I said, 'Mione, I'm the 'troll without a heart.' "I am the one who observes humanity. I just watch them. Well, see you later!" He cried as he ran off.

"Harry...what has he become?" She said before collapsing on the ground and crying. "It's all our fault, if we hadn't betrayed him, he wouldn't have become this monster...this sadistic cruel person."

* * *

Hermione noticed that Harry, or Izaya as he now called himself, didn't send her any more texts. She was glad. Later on, she was out walking when she heard a crash.

A sign was being thrown at something. "DAMN YOU, FLEA, GET BACK HERE!"

"Ha ha, you've gotta catch me first, Shizu-chan! Don't get it wrong again!" A familiar taunting voice said. Her eyes widened upon seeing the boy once known as Harry, running and looking utterly happy. Behind him was a blond man with sunglasses in a bartender's outfit who looked angry.

"DAMN YOU, IZAYA, GET BACK HERE!"

"Shizu-chan, you're too slow~!" He taunted.

"Who are they?" She stammered.

"That's Izaya Orihara and Shizuo Heiwajima! How stupid are you? They fight almost every day!" A girl said in bad English before giving her a stunned look.

Izaya's red eyes locked onto Hermione's for a moment and then he waved sarcastically and ran away.

"IZAYA, GET BACK HERE!" The man screamed.

"Shizu-chan, you're ever amusing and so predictable! That's why I love you humans so, so, much!" He cried.

"Dumbledore would never believe me if I told him..." She whispered.

"Exactly." Izaya said as he appeared right next to her, doing his nails. "And that's the whole point of it, 'Mione. I know I can confide in you because I know you feel bad about what you did to me. I'm quite happy like this. That's all there is to say, because even if you were to die, I wouldn't give a damn. I wouldn't care."

"IZAYA!"

"And...it looks like I have to run away before Shizu-chan catches me. See you later, Shizu-chan!"

"IZAYA, YOU PUNK! DON'T JUST RUN AWAY!"

"Shizu-chan, you are ever predictable."

"What the hell is wrong with him?" She thought, shaking in utter fear. "This wouldn't have been what they wanted. They wouldn't have wanted this."


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N:Time for the next chapter. This chapter is more Durarara-centric than the others have been. *-What manga did I reference there? Any guesses would be most appreciated. Mikado is one of my favorite characters, especially after the pen-stabbing incident with Aoba. "Stomach the full wrath of my anger." **

**Chapter 13 Answers**

* * *

"Answer me, flea. Who was that girl you were talking to?" Shizuo said to his rival, Izaya, as the latter sat there doing his fingernails, pretending he hadn't heard him at all. Oh, the frightened foreign-looking girl was long gone. Both Izaya and Shizuo decided to take their talk somewhere else-a talk between predator and prey...maybe Izaya meant more to him than that. Shizuo frowned and thought over that.

For one thing, Izaya was fun to beat up, but was he even thinking that their affections were more like friends...? Friends? Like he would ever consider Izaya a friend.

"What's this? You worried about me? Are you jealous, Shizu-chan? I guess you're not straight, are you?" Izaya purred, pausing from doing his nails in order to look at the enraged bartender.

"Flea, who was that? Why were you talking in English?" He said.

"Shizu-chan, I know other languages. Of course I can talk in them if I want to," Izaya said. His Japanese sounded smooth like always.

"Well, I like it best when you speak freaking Japanese, you idiot!" He cried.

He paused. "You know," He said, deflating, "Celty told me she thought you were a broken person inside. Is that true?"

"Hmm..." Izaya said, his eyes lighting up. "Maybe, maybe not. Shizu-chan, you can't get answers out of me unless you torture me. No, on second thought, you'd probably have to kill me and then do some sort of seance in order to contact my spirit, but I'd be burning down in hell."

"Who says you'd be going to hell?" Shizuo said off-handedly.

Izaya looked at him in confusion. "I was joking, Shizu-chan. You know I'm an atheist, so I don't believe in that nonsense."

"If what Celty said is true, then you weren't always the flea you are now."

"No...you could say so...I mean all men aren't born evil," Izaya said before grinning sadistically. "Some of us just wind up becoming that way."

"You know," Shizuo said, "I don't know why, but it feels like I can almost relate with you somehow, Flea. I've always wondered-tell me why you kill." He said sharply.

Izaya just looked at him and then his eyes turned cold. "It's the only way I can feel _alive_. A long time ago, my innocence, my hopes, my dreams-they were all crushed before my very eyes. The only thing left for me is nothing but the love of all humans...and thus I learned that I am best alone."

Shizuo blinked. "Flea-no, _Izaya, you bastard, _isn't that too lonely?"

Izaya just blinked again and stared at him. "Ah, Shizu-chan's acting so familiar with me! Has he perhaps developed a crush on me?" Izaya chirped.

"Say any more, flea, and I'll toss you in the garbage can!" Shizuo said.

"Oh, Shizu-chan, you love me too much to do so...like some of those stupid novels I was reading on the Internet..." Izaya mumbled.

"You read _what _on the Internet?" Shizuo demanded.

"Ah, nothing...I don't know what you would call them...but they were some novels that Erika-chan lent me. In them, they had pictures of you and I kissing and making out..."

Shizuo's face turned bright red. "What? Who the hell wrote that stuff? That's sick!"

"Oh, I don't know. I had fun burning their remains," He said gleefully, "Now what was it you wanted to tell me again?"

"There you go again, dodging the question. You're just an enigma, flea. No matter how much I think I know, there's more to you, bastard."

"You don't know the half of it!" Izaya said, "Knowledge is what I live for." It was also so he didn't feel completely empty inside. The cynicism of Izaya Orihara overtook most of his old self. 'Maybe I can trust Shizu-chan,' He thought briefly. 'No, humans just use others. He's just a pawn I use in my game-that's all. Haven't I become exactly like that old fart?' A moment of self-realization came over him.

'Old Voldie and I will both get our own way. Like that character from that manga I read, who said there's no such thing as good or evil, there was just our will. And the main character is contracted to a bloodthirsty rabbit.' *

"Flea!" Shizuo cried, grabbing Izaya by his jacket collar. "Flea, tell me everything, what are you hiding?"

"Oh, I don't know...maybe about 100 dollars in change?" Izaya snarked as some coins fell out of his pockets.

"Stop goofing around! Where'd you get that crap?"

"Oh, a couple of my friends lent it to me."

Suddenly, a few clouds of colored gas exploded. Shizuo was left coughing as Izaya made his escape. "I'll have to thank you for that one when I next see you...Fred, George." He said before smirking. It certainly was the perfect getaway.

"DAMN YOU, IZAYA!" Shizuo cried, now having discovered that the colored smoke had dyed his once-blond hair was now flaming pink along with his outfit. So he decided to rampage through Ikebukuro, now whining about Izaya's prank.

* * *

Izaya couldn't help but chuckle hysterically as he witnessed that, and of course, Fred and George collapsed in fits of laughter whenever he met with the two of them and told them.

"So...Shizu-chan was really that messed up?" Fred said, trying hard to hold his stomach.

"Yes...he discovered his hair was pink when he looked in the mirror, though." Izaya said.

"Oh, god, this is like old times, Izaya, except back then you never wanted to play any pranks."

"Yes, but humans really are such fun pawns to toy with." Izaya said.

"You shouldn't call people pawns, Izaya. It makes you sound too much like Dumbledore."

"I'm nothing like that old fart," Izaya said curtly.

"True...you have a better dress style," Fred said.

"Yes..." Izaya said dryly. "I wouldn't be surprised if that old dude was a pedo. He always struck me as the type. Shizu-chan...he's so fun to torment. Just thinking about him makes me excited to think of more ways to torment him!"

The Weasley twins paused. "So...you met with Hermione...and she told us about her encounter with you."

Izaya noticed they were now looking at him with serious eyes.

"I don't think you should have done what you did to her."

"Why not?" Izaya said casually. "Maybe I did go a little too far, but I had to open her up to the reality of the situation. I'm not the same innocent little boy she toyed with."

"Yeah, but...you shouldn't have told her to kill herself. She was crying and was a real mess. I guarantee you she won't go over to Dumbledore."

"If anyone's good at keeping secrets, it's Mione. Especially since she has over a million of them," He said before ripping a piece of paper.

"Got blackmail information on Ron?" The twins said, "But we have a hundred more of his secrets that we can tell you."

"Will do," Izaya said cheerfully.

"But seriously, Izaya," Fred said, swiping the paper away from Izaya's fingers, "I know that you're a psychopath, and you've changed your ways, but we're still your friends. I want to pass a message on to you."

"And what message would that be?" Izaya said, stifling a yawn in boredom.

"Don't toy with Hermione anymore. Breaking her heart like that was just too much. Izaya, you went too far."

"Hmm...you may be right. Besides, she's the one who betrayed me. Why should I be sad?"

Upon seeing their harsh gazes, his smirk widened.

"Have you...forgotten how to smile? I mean, really, honestly smile, Izaya?"

"Hmm...I only feel happy when I'm around my little sisters and Shinra. That's about it. I've never truly smiled since that time I was being fed all those lies. Even now, I've realized that I've never truly been happy in my life. If you call this feeling that I'm having now with you and enjoying all this time when I'm getting away with everything, then yes, I'd say I'm happy!"

Fred and George shuddered slightly. "Izaya...maybe you should cut back on the killing a bit."

"Hm?" Izaya just looked at them in curiosity.

"We're...willing to accept your new name and personality, but we would like it if you didn't kill so much...it's sort of unnerving."

"Ah, but take note of this...I usually try not to kill children, and I don't really kill girls, they do it themselves, after all. Some cases were self-defense and others were morally reprehensible people who _deserved to die."_

"So, Izaya, got any good plans set for Shizu-chan?" They said, changing the uncomfortable subject.

* * *

Izaya just sighed. As much as he liked spending time with those two, their constant questions were getting annoying. He was used to this new life, dammit, and killing was...integral. It was a part of him...well, the headmaster wanted him to die. It was simply the way he was now; he couldn't change himself now. "I just do what _I feel is right, _do what satisfies me. That's what I've always done." He whispered. 'But where has that led me? Oh well, I mean...if my 'family' could see me again, I wonder what their reaction would be.'

"Actually feeling **emotions **now, are we, _Izaya?" _The familiar voice of Masaomi Kida spat, glaring at him with intense golden eyes. Oh boy, the boy was certainly good with his hatred.

"Nice look of hatred on your face today, Kida-kun." Izaya taunted.

"Izaya," Masaomi said, "Explain to me what you meant by your story."

"I don't have to explain _anything." _Izaya said curtly. "I don't intend to repeat it to anyone else, Kida-kun..." He said, getting more irritated, "Please leave me alone."

"So that's what you want, huh, Izaya? You claim to love humanity, but all you really want is to be left alone, because you're nothing but a coward." Kida spat. Those words struck something deep within Izaya, and angered him even more.

'I wasn't a coward when I left. It was for my own good.'

"My, my, you could say that about the person who ran away and left his girlfriend."

Kida's eyes widened. "You dirty traitor," He growled. "You're just using her."

"She just tends to believe in me, that's all." Izaya said dully. "It's never stopped people from believing in me before, I mean they were all naive idiots, but what choice did they have? I mean, even back then, I knew it was hero worship. But I learned the truth."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing that significant, Kida-kun. Now if you don't mind me, I'll be leaving."

Kida frowned as he watched Izaya walk off...what was with him lately? His mood swings...but the fact that he was showing some humanity was startling. Though showing humane acts of kindness from the sociopathic criminal he was, it was very rare. It was then that he realized that Izaya had dropped something; a slip of paper. He picked it up and read it, and then his eyes widened.

"No...way," Kida whispered. Written on it in plain, black letters were the following words:

**Let me talk to you, Mikado-kun. I'm sure the Dollars have been very, very interesting, huh? Of course they are for you...I mean, you're the man who founded them. -Izaya**

"No...way...Mikado is..."

Images of a smiling, innocent boy drifted into his head.

"Mikado is the leader of the Dollars? Oh my god...this must be another one of Izaya's lies...but that means..." His fists tightened. 'I need to sort things out with Mikado. What the hell is he doing?'

* * *

Mikado smiled to himself as he was on his chatroom. Everything was going just fine...he had more people joining the Dollars...what could possibly go wrong? At that moment, his door flung open and a furious Masaomi Kida come charging through it.

"Oh...Kida-kun, did one of your dates ditch you or something?"

What he was not expecting was for Kida to grab him. "Mikado...explain _this," _He said in a deadly calm voice.

"Explain what?" He said, putting on his innocent mask. It was then that he saw the paper in front of him, written in Izaya's familiar handwriting. "Izaya...? It's just one of his jokes, Kida-kun."

"Do I look like I'm joking? Explain it to me, Mikado...why are you in charge of the Dollars?"

Mikado frowned. "Well...I...uh..." He said nervously.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from people like that?"

Mikado dropped his kind demeanor right then and there. "Kida-kun, I've got to do something with my life. Otherwise, it's just too ordinary." He said sharply.

"Mikado...?" Masaomi said, not recognizing this Mikado.

"I suppose...I should tell you," He said icily before dropping down into his seat. "Kida-kun, I guess I should tell you...my story."

"Who _are _you?" Masaomi said.

"Like I said, I'm your friend Mikado Ryuugamine, Kida-kun, but I won't deny that I'm the leader of the Dollars."

"Why...?" Masaomi said.

"I'll explain to you," Mikado said, still in that same detached voice that scared Masaomi to no end.


	14. Chapter 14 Broken pieces

**A/N:Oh, geez, I've got less time to update this fanfiction than ever. So I'll make this fast: within the next few days, I won't be online as much, because I've got to help someone with work. I'm on 'vacation,' you could say. That person doesn't like me being online that much, which sucks for you readers who can't wait to read my stuff. I've really improved and I really appreciate all of the support. But don't forget I have a real life outside fanfiction. Yes, we all wish fanfiction was real. But it's rather irritating when people say fanfiction does not count as writing or as a job. But it **_**is. **_**Writing is hard to do properly, and when you have good ideas, it's hard to get them down in just the right way. I've got to also deal with sending damned online applications (god, how I hate those) and be forced to go to bed early. Early to bed is for wimps! Also, I created a badass comic strip for this series. :D **

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen Broken Pieces  
**

Izaya Orihara was having quite a complex day, that much was certain. He was for some reason slipping up about his past as that idiot wizard to everyone. If he didn't cover his tracks soon he'd be history. Calming himself, the young information broker knew Namie wouldn't dare reveal his secrets; the woman honored enough of their business deal, but not only that, if she dared to, he would reveal her secrets as well.

He sighed as he spun a chess piece lazily with one hand and watched an irritated Namie doing her best to pretend he didn't exist, which she did perfectly. He was suddenly reminded of his past, when his former 'family' had repeated to him such jolly words like, 'I'll be in my room pretending I don't exist.'

He chuckled out loud, but still Namie did not pay him any attention. Izaya gritted his teeth in frustration; he didn't know why, but today, today he was..._bored. _Boredom was not a good thing for a psychopath like Izaya. He rarely was this bored, he needed something to occupy himself with. Namie wasn't falling for his usual tricks.

"Namie-chan?" He asked, in the most falsetto tone imaginable. No reaction. He blinked. This was _new. _"Namie-san? Namie-san, Namie-san..." He said a few more times and was shocked to see her ignore him and continue working. What was wrong with her today?

He dropped his chess piece in shock, causing it to make a loud noise. "...What?"

Namie just smirked. "...Orihara, do you have nothing to say to me today? Are you going to tell me anything besides your usual chorus of insults, complaining and general scheming to take over the world? Because if I haven't missed anything life-changing, I think I'll be getting back to my work right now. We're playing the silent game."

Izaya groaned. "...I think Namie-san must be an imposter today. The normal Namie-san is ruthless, sarcastic, and generally very twisted! Plus she hasn't mentioned her brother at all!"

Namie sighed. He had found a weak point again, and now he was going to enjoy tearing her apart. She thought of herself as a sociopath, but Izaya was just plain insane. There were times when the man scared her half to death; he seemed less like a human and more like a snake in the guise of one. "...Orihara, are you even _human?" _

His reaction surprised her, because he didn't say anything, no clever retort, no dark laughter, no nothing. Instead, he was just speechless. Finally, he smirked. "...Unfortunately, yes, I am. I'd rather be a human than some mythological creature."

'I got Fred to obliviate her memories of my different eye color and of my telling her about my past. That was one thing that stupid magic is useful for. I don't care as long as I'm not caught by those bastards again. Hell, she could even die and I wouldn't care.'

"Orihara, are you even thinking about anything besides being a douche?" She said snidely.

Izaya laughed. "...Sorry, Namie-san. My emotions are frozen inside me. I wish I could melt them, but I fear that won't be happening any time soon."

"...You're showing feelings, Orihara? This must be the end of the world. Come now, tell me what made you the way you are."

He glowered at her. "...Ever spend time locked outside, unable to get in, in the freezing cold, and your 'family,' doesn't care to let you in and would be so happy to let you die out there? Ever be trapped in a room all day and not be allowed out except to use the bathroom? Hmm...let's see...when I was five I was whipped until I bled because I dared to steal food from my 'family's' plates because the only thing I'd had to eat was a crust of bread and a tiny cup of water, when I was six, I was thrown outside again for daring to attack the dog who lashed out at me for no reason and nearly severed my arm-"

"You must be lying again, Orihara. Another one of your fancy tales-" She said.

"...I must've imagined this wound, then," He said, showing her a raw scar on his arm. "...Believe what you want to, Namie-san, but that was my life...until I decided to do things my way and started my own life."

She was shocked by the intense anger in his words. Anger? The most emotion he usually showed was sadistic glee in someone else's suffering, laughing over his own triumphs, or smirking when he annoyed someone successfully.

"...Who are you?"

"...Orihara Izaya, a lover of humanity." He said before smirking his usual grin. His mask was back on again. So it was a mask after all. Deep down inside, he had a heart...though deep, deep, down...she thought in bemusement.

"...Are they dead now?"

Izaya blinked. "Who?"

"The people that did those things to you," She said matter-of-factly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She looked interested, and in a way, _concerned? _Now he was thinking too much. She didn't give a damn about him.

"No. But I wish they were. They were the first people I ever wanted to kill." He admitted, and then an idea came to his mind. "...That gives me a wonderful idea."

Quickly, he whipped out his cell phone and dialed a number. "~Hello! Oh, don't act so depressed, Dota-chin. It's just me, why is that a reason to get so annoyed? I sound different? No way! Listen, can you do me a favor? I was just wondering if you could send Erika-chan and Walker-kun over to do someone in. Oh, they want to use gasoline and you won't let them? That's mean. Well, here's the thing: these people live in England, so...it's going to be a hard job. Oh, that's not very nice, Dota-chin. You shouldn't use such vulgar language! Oh, well...I suppose I will have to do it myself. I'm not a coward, Dota-chin. Bye!"

"You are so infuriating." Namie snarked.

"...Hmm...this is going to be difficult. But how wonderfully intriguing! I was waiting for something interesting to come and hit me and here it is. How can someone get to England from Japan in a second? ...Aha, I've got it." He grinned then as he decided to use Ryuugamine-san's website.

"That problem's taken care of!~" He cried out before spinning around to face Namie in his chair, a wicked smirk on his face.

"Do you ever smile?" Namie asked in curiosity.

"Smiling is artificial. Why should I indulge in something that pretentious? Happiness is an illusion." Izaya said sardonically.

"Well, aren't we a cynic?" Namie said sarcastically.

"Ahahaha, I appreciate your words of wisdom, Namie-chan. It just so happens that I shall be smiling...finally, those hellions will get what's coming to them."

"If you wanted to kill them, why not do it yourself?" Namie said.

"...I wanted to, but this is so much more entertaining!" He exclaimed before playing with his chessboard some more.

"...I see," She said demurely, not really understanding. "...If I wanted to kill someone, I would do it myself, Orihara."

"...Oh, I want to...so much so, that I'm nearly breaking this chess piece!" He said, holding up a chess piece that was cracked. "Perhaps I've picked up some of Shizu-chan's strength!"

"God bless Shizuo. At least he knows how to shut you up," She snapped.

"God? He doesn't exist," Izaya said happily. "Don't believe in fantasies."

"...Prove that, Orihara. Prove to me that magic doesn't exist."

The chess piece snapped in half and fell on the floor as Izaya stared at it in surprise and then he glared at her deeply. "...Well, it looks like I've broken another one. I don't know why I do that...perhaps they're just made of glass or something-"

"Did I touch a nerve? Do I have to wave a wand and say Orihara stop being so annoying-"

* * *

CRACK.

At that moment, another chess piece broke and a glass object fell to the ground, shattered from the blow of Izaya's knife against it.

"Done with your temper tantrum, Orihara? Shall I perhaps cast a-"

Izaya stood up, his red eyes deadly calm. "Namie-san, _never say such pathetic words in front of me. _Magic is not real, it is a damned fantasy."

"So something gets under your skin now? I'm astonished."

"Don't push me, Namie-san..." He hissed, his knife twitching in his hands.

"What did you break, anyway?" She asked, coming towards the glass object, but Izaya was faster. He noticed it first and his eyes widened.

"...My, how careless of me." He said calmly.

"What is it? Is it a picture of Seiji?" She hissed.

"Nope." He said darkly before picking up the shards in his bare hands. "Oh, I got cut. Nice. Blood is such a lovely color."

Orihara was off, today.

Strange.

* * *

Izaya stared at the shards of the strange object in his hands. What was it that he had shattered, anyway? He realized what it was at once and then his eyes widened in shock. It was of _his birth parents. _The only photograph he had of them-and he had _broken it _with his own carelessness.

Izaya felt no sadness rise in him, only irritation and a faint pang of guilt before it faded into a feigned calm. "I'll go rinse it off."

He glared at the picture as he tried to fit the pieces back together, but failed. The glass shards cut into him, as if they blamed him. Well, of course they did. He raised an eyebrow. "Okay...this should go fine. It'll be just fine." He attempted to fit it in again, but once again every time he tried to fit the glass pieces in they fell apart.

He frowned at this, then it turned to irritation as he tried to make them fit back together. He tried one last time, but this time the pieces completely broke, and tore the picture clean in half. Izaya watched the photo fall to the ground, completely shocked.

"...No," He whispered. "This sucks...well, it was just a picture, anyway."

He recalled the memory behind that...that man who had been his godfather-the one who had been thrown in jail and tortured to near insanity-didn't that sound familiar-he had given it to him-and he'd broken it.

Izaya felt no satisfaction, no tears prick his eyes. Instead, all he felt was a bitter regret.

"Orihara, are you done with your pouting?" Namie said. Izaya quickly shook the look off his face and replaced it with his default stoic look.

"...Namie-chan, it was nothing important, really. It was just a picture of Shizu-chan that broke."

She wasn't convinced.

* * *

Elsewhere, Sirius Black looked up in shock upon seeing the picture of Harry he had on his wall fall to the ground and shatter into pieces. "What does that mean? ...Is he dead?"

"My son can't be dead," The portrait of Lily said to her husband's frame, who nodded.

"No, he's alive. He wouldn't die on us. Sirius, we're depending on you to look after our son."

"...The Ministry decided to declare Harry Potter dead. They said Dementors did it." Sirius spoke slowly, allowing the tears to fall out of his eyes. "I guess he really was dead, all this time."

Izaya skulked down the street, cursing himself and anyone else who passed by, kicking rocks at girls, at anyone in particular, until-

"IZAYA, WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN IKEBUKURO AGAIN?"

A stop sign came flying near him, but Izaya didn't even bother to dodge, allowing it to strike his leg, which winced a little in pain.

"...Oh, Shizu-chan." He said dully, and then continued to walk on.

"IZAYA, DON'T IGNORE ME, YOU BASTARD! COME BACK HERE AND FIGHT!"

Another sign was heaved at Izaya, but he didn't bother to dodge and instead let it hit his knife instead. "Screw off, Shizuo."

Instantly, he felt himself being lifted up. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, IZAYA, YOU JERK? YOU'RE SO ARROGANT THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST WALK AWAY?"

Izaya glared at him. "Put me down, Shizuo. I don't want to play your games today."

Shizuo dropped Izaya in utter shock. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing is...the world is wrong, Shizuo. Get used to it. But I'll be in better spirits tomorrow."

He didn't expect Shizuo to grab his shirt again.

"Listen, punk, you don't waltz away from me. What's wrong with you?"

He stopped as he noticed the broken glass in Izaya's hand, that was still bleeding. Izaya was clutching a torn photograph. "What is this, flea?"

"Shizuo, let go of me. Now." He said sharply.

"You ripped up something for fun, didn't you?"

Izaya's punches really hurt when he meant them, Shizuo thought.

"For once, Shizu-chan, I accidentally did something wrong. Now please leave me alone."

"You're not Izaya."

"I am," Izaya said bitterly.

"Izaya, going to run to your parents-"

"Shizu-chan, my parents are dead and I tore the only photo I had of them. That's all." Izaya said darkly.

Shizuo deflated. Izaya looked almost sad, but not really. More like...crushed.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Wow, thank you so much for all the reviews! Yes, the song Everybody loves me really **_**does suit Izaya, don't you think? **_

* * *

**Chapter 15 Everybody loves me **

Izaya stood away from Shizuo, who was still glaring at him intensely and was showing no sign that he wouldn't still _punch him into next week. _"...Shizu-chan," He whispered, lightly, his dark hair hiding his crimson eyes, "Leave me alone now."

"So you do have _feelings, flea," _Shizuo sounded slightly derisive, though Izaya knew he probably would have a lot to answer to him sooner rather than later. "When did the world suddenly become so skewed, flea? Hmm...what happened to the flea who enjoys forcing the world to bow to his morals, who enjoys having me chase him around...I ask this, because I think you're lying again, Izaya."

Izaya was growing tired of this discussion, and tired of Shizu-chan's annoying, repetitive insults. "...Shizu-chan, _leave me alone. I won't say it again." _

Shizuo didn't budge. He didn't leave the young information broker alone. He knew that something about the disgusting, morally repulsive flea was _not right-and had not been right for the past few weeks. _He wanted the regular Izaya back-the taunting, sneering one who laughed in the face of danger, not this annoying, wimpy one who refused to fight him.

"Flea...in case you weren't aware, your hand is _bleeding." _

"So, what do you want me to do about it, Shizu-chan? It's from a piece of glass, to be more accurate...I got it stuck in my hand when I tried to pull it out from this torn photo frame."

"YOU BASTARD, I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HOW YOU GOT HURT, JUST ACT LIKE YOURSELF FOR ONCE, YOU IDIOT!"

Shizu-chan really could be quite _intriguing _when he was this angered, Izaya thought in fascination. "Say, Shizu-chan, by any chance, do you happen to have male PMS?" He sang.

Shizuo's face turned mauve in a few seconds, his fists tightening in rage. Ah, it was happening again. That Shizuo rage Izaya knew so well. Yet, he was both relieved and not relieved to see it.

"...Izaya...what did you say?" He growled.

* * *

Izaya clapped his hands in amusement. Finally, he was feeling a little bit better. Nothing could really _fix _the fact that the last remnant of his old life had been torn to pieces, but did he really give a damn about that anymore? He was the scariest and most dangerous informant around, Orihara Izaya, and he feared no one.

"Ah, there it is, Shizu-chan, your anger is ever so **amusing~! **Show me some more of it!" He cheered as he jumped up on the roof of a nearby building, grinning at the furious blond.

"IZAYA, YOU PUNK! NOW YOU'RE BACK TO HOW YOU USUALLY ARE!"

"My, if I didn't know better, I would say Shizu-chan _actually_ gives a damn about my life! I'm shocked, indeed!" Izaya scoffed, and almost didn't dodge the huge air conditioner tossed in his direction.

"Flea, stop talking and start dodging before I crush you to death!"

"Shizu-chan, you _wuv _me too much to do so~!" Izaya chirped.

"What was that, you little punk? I don't love you, I want to smash you into the ground until there's nothing left of you!"

"My, such violence! I love it!" Izaya cried, cackling hysterically, like he usually did, until his scar started to burn under his hair. Flinching, Izaya staggered and tried to resist it. "Well, Shizu-chan..." He said, ignoring the burning sensation in his head, which told him that Voldemort was torturing someone. The sensation only gave him a little feeling of triumph. He knew old Voldemort wouldn't be so stupid as to change the rules on him. He knew better than to play dirty with him.

"Flea, is something wrong?" Shizuo actually sounded concerned for a moment, but Izaya swayed slightly, ignoring the burning pain in his head; knowing it couldn't be helped. It would never go away, even if he hid it.

"Shizu-chan, I'm fine. No need for you to be worried about me!" He chirped as he jumped and nearly hit Shizuo with his switchblade, only for Shizuo to disappear at the last second and gain the upper advantage.

"Ah, flea, you were playing dirty, so did you expect me to play fair as well?" Shizuo growled as he hit Izaya with a sign.

"Touche, Shizu-chan!" Izaya chirped. "I suppose you're right about _some_ of those things."

"Flea, when do you ever play by the rules?"

Izaya grimaced and then it quickly sharpened into a wicked grin. "Well...some rules are meant to be _broken, Shizu-chan!" _

"I know that, flea...still, are you all right? For the past few weeks, you haven't been acting like the Orihara Izaya I know so well." Shizuo pressed his hand down menacingly near the informant, mainly to prevent him from running away while they had their little talk.

"Since _when_ did you start caring about me, Shizu-chan? Last I knew, you liked ramming me into things, knocking me around...that sort of thing. So there's nothing for you to say."

"Hell yeah, there's a heck of a lot more for me to say, flea!" Shizuo said, grabbing a startled Izaya and allowing the pain on his forehead to increase. "Stop being such a psychopathic asshole who uses others for his own gain! And stay out of Ikebukuro!"

"Aw, is poor wittle Shizu-chan mad? Is it possible that you've developed a crush on me or something?" Izaya taunted.

"No, flea, I just want you to stop being such a self-centered asshole and start learning how to be a decent human being!"

Izaya chuckled and then laughed maniacally, an act which not only infuriated Shizuo, but also scared him. "What's wrong, Shizu-chan? Have I scared you...? _Good_. I must let you know one thing. I am above humanity, I don't succumb to their petty emotions, their disgusting, ludicrous, self-centered, twisted ways...I watch them rise and watch them fall like the pathetic little creatures they are...sparing a look of pity for them...pity that they hadn't resisted their fates some more. I mean, what's more pathetic than giving into a destiny that isn't yours and just not even fighting at all?"

Shizuo glowered at him, and then he slugged him so hard that Izaya fell to the ground, writhing in pain, clutching his cheek, which now felt absolutely numb. He could feel red crimson dripping down his face, and landing on his slender fingers...

"Let me tell you something, flea...it's that disgusting attitude of yours that repulses me. No, it's more than that; it's that cackle you make every time some innocent girl you befriend online and then toy with decides to off herself because you've fucked with her mind; it's that face I see with no emotion as he mocks his 'prey' and lets them suffer because he thinks he's doing them a 'favor', and also, it's that damned lack of self-empathy you have. Can't you feel for those people you cut down and lead to madness? No, you can't. You're convinced you're above everyone else, Izaya. No one else can tell you you're wrong; they must be insane. That must be the answer for everyone that can see through your facade and see you for the twisted, insane bastard you are-"

"..."

"I'm not finished yet, bastard. You know what else I hate about you? I hate your goddamned self-righteousness, how you think this entire world revolves around _you and your pathetic schemes. _God of the world? No, you're just an egotistical asshole who feels it's okay to put others down, because he's really that insecure about his madness that he feels he should drag down others with him. IF you had any heart Izaya, you'd be changing your ways. But no, all you do is cling to your pathetic lies and make excuses."

Izaya glared at him fiercely, his crimson orbs blazing in anger. "...You're _wrong, Shizuo. _You know _nothing about me." _

"Izaya, I don't need to know anything more about you. I know enough to know that you're a twisted, vicious, egomaniacal, psychopathic jerk with no heart."

"...Then how about the fact that if something happened to my little sisters, I'd fight and die protecting them? Think I have no heart, Shizu-chan? Then how about _you _deal with the truth that your entire existence has been a pathetic sham set up by a twisted person who spent years befriending you and gaining your trust just so you could die for his pathetic 'cause' and left you to suffer for years without bothering to tell you everything would be all right? Oh, and you know who gave me this scar, Shizu-chan? A dear old friend of _his. _Not my friend, Shizu-chan. It's him who made me into the human you see before you today. He bashed my brains in and felt absolutely no sympathy for me as I lay there, begging for mercy. Wouldn't you develop a hatred for such disgusting beings as I did? Perhaps I _may_ be a corrupted bastard to you, but seeing as you know nothing about _my fucking_ life, why don't you shut up and listen? Now I know you don't want to hear any more from me, Shizu-chan, so I'll be going now."

"Flea..." Shizuo breathed.

"_What?" _Izaya snapped, giving him a cold stare.

"Is that...really true?" He said.

"_All of it_ is sadly true, Shizu-chan. Humans are capable of such awful, twisted things. They made me into the person you see before you. Perhaps I may be a walking caricature of a human being, but at least I'm alive. I'm determined to live, Shizu-chan, and I will only live for myself, even if it means twisting with others or using them," Izaya said bitterly. "And alas, my last living thing tying me to that wretched, disgusting life has shattered, so there's nothing left."

Shizuo was speechless. His rival, his most hated enemy was pouring his _heart out to him, and his own emotions? _Had hell frozen over or something? What the hell was going on here?

"Flea...are you serious?"

"As serious as I'll _ever be, Shizu-chan," _Izaya said. "Now, enough with the sob stories."

"Look, Izaya, don't be like this. So what? This is what you're going to make of your life? Get freaking real, man!" Shizuo cried.

"So what, Shizu-chan? I don't care about that time in my life anymore. I will be fine. And I really don't care anymore. Shizu-chan, it's been fun, but now it's time to end our little game. Let's play again some other time."

As Izaya left, he heard the whispering words of Severus Snape in his ears, little more than a memory disintegrating in the past, whispering harsh truth. 'You cannot escape who you are."

Izaya glared at the ripped drawing shard in his hands, and then ripped it into shreds with his bare hands.

Nine years...nine long years and still. those damned people wouldn't drop the subject, wouldn't let him live his own life. He spoke quietly on the rooftop of an empty building.

"Nine...years, huh? To think I've lived here and made my own life for nine damned years and still they won't leave me alone. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA! To think...they're never bringing him back. Harry Potter...that foolish, idiot is gone for good. He'll never be back. IF I do have to be dragged back down to hell, _I'll bring you down with me, old man_. Prepare yourselves; if you don't get the hell out of my life, I'll make you and your entire world suffer. I'll butcher you in your sleep. Be prepared for Orihara Izaya. But first...I think I should pay a visit to my _beloved_ relatives." He said, before using a bit of his 'magic' to teleport himself to the lovely house on Privet Drive.

* * *

Vernon Dursley awoke to hear a pounding on his door. He answered, and then glared at the young kids at his door. "Get lost, you blasted kids. I'm not interested in anything from you-"

Suddenly, a sharp pain went through his shoulder as someone gripped his arm tightly and twisted it. "It's been a long time, dear friend. I think I should remind you of who _I am." _

"Orihara-san!" The kids cried.

"Help me dispose of this trash, please," Izaya said cheerily as he pulled out a switchblade and slit his uncle's throat with no emotion, not even caring that the blood went on his face. The lifeless corpse fell to the ground. Izaya kicked him to the side and then smirked. "Well, one down..._two left to go." _

"Don't hurt Duddy-kins! I know you're the freak! Just leave us alone!"

"Freak, you say?" Izaya snarled, twirling his knife in his hand like a baton. "Hmm...I'll spare your lives...no, I'll spare your son."

"Thank god...thank you..." Petunia sobbed. She froze as her nephew stabbed her in the shoulder.

"...I didn't say I would _spare you,_ though, did I? I won't hold back, dear Aunt." Izaya laughed maniacally and brought the knife down on her as the last thing she knew was red.

"Clean this up, all of you. Leave the brat alone."

The kids agreed and cleaned all the blood up, and satisfied, Izaya vanished and returned to Ikebukuro. He felt deeply satisfied. "Wonderful..." He said, cleaning off his bloodstained knife and humming.

"So, what has you all happy this morning?" Namie snarked.

"Oh, nothing...I just disposed of someone I had to kill. Now everything's all right."

"Good, then you can get to work on my paperwork."

"What?" Izaya said, blinking in confusion upon seeing a stack of huge papers dumped in front of him.

"Orihara, it's about time you started plying your trade. If you're going to be a pompous ass and mistreat me and make me clean up your messes, you may as well start doing my work."

Damned woman. Izaya growled and got to work on the paperwork, finishing it in about an hour or two, and then resigning himself to playing with his chessboard and doing more research on the head.

"Professor Dumbledore," Ron said breathlessly. "The Dursleys are dead."

"What?" Dumbledore said. "Who-"

"Death Eaters," Ginny said, "They left a note."


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N:The next chapter is here. Harry's writing is in bold, while Izaya's writing is in bold with Italic. *This is a reference to MAD Magazine's parody of Harry Potter, Harry Plodder. Ron was called Runt and Hermione called Herwhiny, but I figured I'd use Herwhinny to make it my own. Don't own the names. **

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen Surprise visit**

"Well, that was certainly unpleasant," Orihara Izaya remarked as he entered his apartment in frustration. Not only had he spilled some of his old, untouched, _forbidden past _to Shizuo Heiwajima, the man he hated so much, the guy had actually felt bad for him. At this, Izaya felt nothing but self-loathing rise up in him. He disliked the idea of pity because he had never been shown pity.

Oh, he had been shown looks of pity all the time, back in that world, the looks and words like:

"Oh, you're an orphan! That's so terrible!"

"I'm so sorry for your loss, Harry!"

Izaya just grinned then as he plopped himself down on his couch, looking up at the head on his shelf. Never, never, never when he was at Hogwarts did he ever stop to think, that there would come a time when he was not only insane, but was also _free _to do whatever the hell he _wanted to do. _

Freedom, that had been all that Harry Potter had wanted during his life. His aunt and uncle had made him all those rules, and now they were sadly (Izaya thought sarcastically) deceased.

For a moment, Izaya paused, stopping to think about something. Then his long, slender hands rummaged through his drawers. There was one of his high school yearbooks with Shizu-chan and Shinra on the cover, information on Mikado-kun and Kida-kun, information on all the people he was currently toying with...and then at the very bottom, in a most secure place, were the remnants of his life as Harry Potter.

Izaya dug them back out, curious as to why he'd even bothered. There was a journal that he'd kept for his days after he'd arrived in Japan. "Ah, back from before I lost my mind," He remarked thoughtfully. "Oh, boy, I'm sure this will be most interesting," He purred as he opened it to the first page with the first entry.

The first page was smeared with teardrops. Izaya rolled his eyes and started to read.

* * *

**I can't believe it. Everyone I've ever loved has turned against me. Ron, Hermione, they've used me-they have been using me. There's nothing I can do. I'm all alone. But then, this voice in my head-this voice, in my head, told me it was okay to discard everything, and care only for myself. **

**As a matter of fact, I've always thought only of myself, but whenever I try doing things for myself, to please myself, everyone always snaps at me...Dumbledore, McGonagall, they all scolded me. Now they've all used me and lied to me. **

There was a mark where the pencil point had snapped-apparently he had acquired a Muggle utensil at one point.

**Well, if that's the case...then I won't be used anymore. I'll leave tomorrow. I'm writing my thoughts down here, but I'll make sure to take them with me, so that way no one ever discovers what made me leave. I'm sick of the looks of pity whenever I reveal that I'm Harry Potter. **

**'Harry James Potter, you're the child of Destiny, the Child of Prophecy.'**

**'I'm so sorry to hear about your parents, Harry, my boy, but you have a destiny to fulfill. You have to destroy the Dark Lord, Voldemort. You are the Golden Boy who lived, you can never do anything to damage Gryffindor's reputation. You have to play Quidditch whether or not you like it. **

_**W-Who gives a damn? Who honestly...ha HA HA...gives a damn about that stuff? A-All that matters in the end is myself, that and survival. The destiny that awaits me here is nothing but death and betrayal. If they think I'm going to sit here and take all of their crap, they're wrong. I'll leave. **_

"My, how melodramatic I was back then," Izaya remarked, before he realized that there were drops of blood on the next page. "My...I really _was _overemotional then, wasn't I?"

* * *

**I'm honestly doing it. I'm honestly surviving on my own. The Muggles...they're not as bad as people say they are. In fact, they're much more accepting of me than the Wizarding World ever was. I've left them all behind. All I have to do-it's possible-all I have to do is change my name and my whole identity of myself-and then I can escape and live my own life!**

**Who would have ever thought that this was possible? **

_**Another thing I've found so very interesting is, I like to sit and watch the Muggles. I just like to sit and watch them talk and as they argue. For some reason, their arguing really, really gets me excited. I love watching them argue! I love watching them all get angry! I've become more fond of Muggle horror films and violence. It's so joyful to watch! I love it-I love it all SO MUCH!**_

_**I just can't stop watching people. Even though they're so frustrating and they're so irritating, I just realized something: I hate the wizards so much, but I really, really love humanity. I love them all so much. They're all...so...INTERESTING! **_

"Hmm..." Izaya thought. There was nothing else written in the diary until a few weeks later.

_**Well, I've honestly managed to make my way into the Japanese yakuza. They're much better guys than I imagined them to be, after all. I mean, now that Harry Potter no longer exists, all I have to do is create my own destiny, and oh, these humans are ever so enjoyable to toy with. As much as I enjoy torturing and admiring humans...some might call me a sociopath, I'm sure.**_

_**Actually...I'm starting to realize that everything you've ever been told by adults is a load of nonsense. All you have to do is examine everything on your own in order to find your own answers to things. I know so much more than other people do, and I want to educate them about their stupidity, much like that stupid young woman who left her husband and now she has to support her own children! Honestly, she was begging me for mercy as she was tied up...and in the end, that led me to feel nothing but anger and irritation. **_

_**So, I made her shut up. A good blow to the head and she was out. I decided a few good cuts with a knife would make her think twice before being such a self-centered, annoying pain in the ass. But then if there's one thing I've never been, even as a sociopath, I have to say it here and now...that whenever everyone thinks of sociopaths, they think of cold-blooded killers. **_

_**Sure, I may be a criminal and a murderer; while I despise wizards, amazingly enough, I've never had the urge to harm an animal. In fact, I like cats. That's why I get tuna; so sometimes I can feed them. They're so adorable, and it's adorable to make them fight amongst themselves. But amazing as it is, it seems I still don't have those urges. **_

_**Why? Well, I assume it's because animals never do anything to betray others. Animals just accept you for who you are, like my dear owl Hedwig. She has never once misjudged me. Yeah, any of you who are reading the notes about Orihara Izaya the psychopath, you probably assume that I would take an animal and rip them up or cut them to pieces or whatever. Nope, even I'm not that brutal. I've seen some of my buddies gleefully torture animals, and it just makes me feel sick to my stomach. **_

_**Sure, I don't mind kidnapping a few people and toying with their minds. Toying with their minds is so much more fun, and what's the point of torturing an animal? It's not only stupid, it just sickened me to torture an animal, because they're not as despicable as humans are, and what's the point of torturing an animal? They can't fight back, and besides, perhaps it's still the naive side of me that exists-but I still say that animals are innocent and mercy must be given to them. **_

_**Oh..? It looks like I just squished a spider. Oh, well. Spiders don't really deserve to live, either. **_

"My, my, I was pretty contradictory back then," Izaya remarked, before flipping the page to another entry.

_**~How entertaining. I received a few more letters from Runt and Herwhinny today!* I shall list the very amusing ones right here: **_

* * *

**Dear Harry, **

**You must come back at once! The Wizarding World needs you! Dumbledore needs you! I swear, we'll apologize for everything we ever did wrong! Please, just come back! We'll explain everything, and besides, the Ministry has ordered your arrest! If you don't come back, they'll arrest you and MAKE you come back. You need to take part in the Triwizard Tournament. You have to take part in it, Harry! Someone's trying to kill all the people in the tournament! -Hermione Granger P.S. Don't run away. It's not the answer to your problems.**

_**And here we have this other very entertaining letter from the dunderheaded fool known as Runt Weasley: **_

* * *

**Hey, TRAITOR. You'd better get your ass back over here before they drag you back to Hogwarts. I swear, if you're living among the Muggles and acting like a filthy Muggle, then I have nothing but contempt for you. You wanna know who sent out the arrest warrant for you? It was ME, because I'm sick of seeing Ginny whining and moping over you. I'm tired of seeing my own sister suffer because the guy she liked turned his back on her and ran off. Call me whatever you like. Oh, I'm not sorry about hitting you over the head. What, did I turn you into a depraved lunatic who's so insane that he's locked up in a mental asylum somewhere? You're probably locked up in St. Mungo's, I imagine. Don't worry, I'll visit you...in order to give out your death certificate. And Dumbledore doesn't monitor these letters, so we're free to write out whatever the heck we want. Filthy Git. **

_**And then there's one by that great man, Albus Doubledork! Let's see what the annoying old coot has to say now!~ **_

* * *

_Harry, you must return at once. Your destiny lies with the Wizarding World. The Muggles are inferior. You must return at once, Harry, mah boi. Voldemort is out killing even more people than before. You must kill him! He's killing...why the other day, one of your friends, Colin Creevy, died. Harry, surely you must feel angry with us. But don't you understand we did it all for your own good? It was all for your own betterment! Sure, I had your best friends spy on you, but it was all for your own protection! You have to go back to your relatives', no matter how much you hate them, it's all for the destiny of the world. Don't even think about hiding, Harry. Because I CAN and I WILL find you. You can't hide anywhere. _

_**I've left all these letters here because they're so amusing. I've actually taken quite a liking to taking old pictures of Runt that I have and then setting them on fire. It's quite fun to watch them smolder. You know what would be ever so amusing? IF I met someone who was just as twisted as I am, wouldn't it be nice if I could ask them to set Runt on fire and they would do it with a smile on their face? Or wouldn't it be interesting if they could take a pen and shove it right through Runt's hand? That would be so funny~. I love you humans all so much...but not the wizards! I hate them!**_

"Here's one of the last entries," He remarked, frowning and using his slender nails in order to slash out any references to Ron and Hermione. "Note to self: I'm probably going to burn this once I'm through with it. I don't want anyone else to find me."

_**Well, I've started high school, and it seems I've run into the delightful person named Shizu-chan! But Shizu-chan doesn't like it when I call him that name! So he decided to beat me up. He's so fun to provoke! He's such a monster; I'm sure he's hurt others. But he's much smarter than Runt could ever dream of being. I love you humans all SO much! -Izaya Orihara, the number one lover of humanity. **_

"Oh, pooey," Izaya remarked, looking at his fingers. He realized he had acquired a papercut, and was now bleeding. "Oh, boy...not only am I bleeding, it's also raining outside. How delightful!" He said in a sing-song voice as he instantly went to rinse his finger off.

"Hello, Namie-chan!" He chirped.

"You're just as cheerful as usual, despite the fact that you made me walk here all the way in the rain."

"How's good old Seiji-kun doing?" Izaya taunted.

"He's doing just _fine, _though I'd rather kill that girl he's with-"

"Too bad! I mean, it seems like he's very protective of her!"

"What happened to you?" She said sarcastically.

"A little papercut. That's all."

"Don't you feel any pain?"

"Oh, I do. But actually I sort of enjoy it."

"Really? You going to tell me next that you slit your wrists?" Namie snarked.

"Nope! What would be the point of that? Even though I like watching others die, I want to live!"

"Hey, maybe this is a sign."

"A sign of wh~atttt?" He said, gleefully annoying her.

"Maybe it's just a sign from someone telling you."

"You mean like God or something? Don't use such exotic terms, Namie-chan. There's no such thing as God, after all!" He chirped.

"You are _utterly _infuriating." She spat.

"And I'm proud of it!" He cried.

Her eyes widened then as Shizuo came in.

"FLEA!"

"What are you doing here, Shizu-chan? Came to see me? Did you utterly miss being around me that much?" Izaya purred.

"Hey, flea, where were you? I showed up, waiting for you to come and fight me once more and yet you skipped out."

"Hmmm? What should I say? It surprises me that you'd come this far to see _me, _Shizu-chan! Do you perhaps feel bad for me?"

"No, you annoying pain in the ass! All I want is for you to stop being such a jerk!"

"Ah, that can't be helped, Shizu-chan! I'm always going to be the way I am."

"That's unfortunate," Namie remarked, "Here I was thinking you of all people could beat some common sense into him, Heiwajima."

"What's the bandage for, flea?" Shizuo said in exasperation.

"I cut myself," Izaya said nonchalantly. "What? Did you expect me to cry or something? It's just a little cut."

"That cut looks pretty bad," Shizuo remarked, itching to beat the flea up.

"Shizu-chan, don't you think the injuries you give me are just as bad? It's not like you're worried about me, is it?"

"NO, YOU BASTARD! I JUST WANT YOU TO COME AND FIGHT ME LIKE USUAL!"

"Oh, sure. Oh, and it looks like you got your hair all wet in the rain. Gonna catch a cold, Shizu-chan?"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT!"

"I can call you whatever I want to, Shizu-chan!" Izaya said cheerfully.

"If you're gonna fight him, Orihara, get outside," Namie said in irritation.

"Oh, Namie-chan, you can leave if you want."

"You're being polite to me now, Izaya? This is the end of the world-"

"No, it's not. I just feel like being nice to you for now! Goodbye!" He said before waving his fingers at her. "So, Shizu-chan, what'd you come and see me about? I mean, what was the point of it?"

"YOU BASTARD!" Shizuo cried. "Who are those two redheaded guys?"

"Hm, I don't know what you're talking about, Shizu-chan!" Izaya said as he did his nails.

"You damned flea, stop ignoring me!"

"I can do whatever I want, Shizu-chan. You're not my boss!"

"Sure that bleeding isn't painful?" Shizuo said finally, after a long moment of silence had passed between them.

"Hm, what's this? Shizu-chan is worried about me, and on top of that, it's adorable!"

"Shut up! Anyway, I...Izaya-er, flea, the main reason I came here is because I encountered a _problem _running down in Ikebukuro. These two annoying visitors won't leave me alone!"

"Two annoying visitors, hm?" Izaya said. 'Is it Fred and George?'

"What I mean is, these two annoying pain in the asses have been following me, and they won't shut up."

"Hm, is it Erika and Walker? If it is, you can have them torture someone."

"No, it's-"

Suddenly a black blur tackled Shizuo to the ground.

* * *

"It's Shizuo Heiwajima!" A very familiar high voice that Izaya knew too well chirped. "Where's Yuuhei-kun? We wanna see him!"

"Yeah, we wanna see Yuhei!" A tinnier voice said.

"Oh, no," Izaya remarked under his breath.

"Flea, who are these two?" Shizuo groaned.

"Mairu, Kururi, stop that." Izaya said nonchalantly.

"IZA-NII!" They both cried, launching themselves onto a terrified Izaya. Both of them tackled Izaya to the ground.

"We've missed you, Iza-nii! Where've you been?"

"Iza-nii, busy..." Came the quiet and controlled voice of one Kururi Orihara.

"Get off of me..." He moaned.

"Iza-nii...would you mind if we pushed you in front of a truck?" Mairu said happily.

"_What?" _Izaya said, completely and utterly baffled.

"We asked Shizuo if we could push you in front of a truck and then maybe Yuhei-san would come see us!"

Shizuo was positively grinning by now. Izaya rolled his eyes. "No, you can't kill me. That's Shizu-chan's job."

"So they're your sisters?" Shizuo remarked.

"Yep."

"Not by blood!" Mairu said. "Iza-nii wasn't always our big brother, but now he is!"

"Adopted? You were adopted, flea?" Shizuo said.

"Yeah, more or less," Izaya said dismissively. "Now please get off of me."

"No, we wanna go throw you in front of a truck, or else it won't be fun!"

"Get off me, Mairu," Izaya said in annoyance.

"If Iza-nii wants to be a really nice big brother, he'll let us do what we want! We came to cheer you up because we heard you were feeling down." Mairu said talkatively.

"So your idea of cheering me up is to run me over with a truck?" Izaya said dryly.

"Yep!" They said happily.

"It's hard to believe they're not blood-related to you. They're every bit as twisted as you are!"

"We like being twisted, because normalcy is for losers!" Mairu said.

"Iza-nii...okay?" Kururi asked.

"I'm fine."

Kururi had already gotten off of him, it was Mairu who was suffocating him.

"Why don't we throw you out of a window, Iza-nii?"

"Because then it wouldn't be funny," Izaya said, something that surprised Shizuo.

"We'd love seeing your blood splattered-"

"ENOUGH! FLEA, THIS IS REALLY FREAKING ANNOYING. I'M LEAVING."

"Wait, Shizuo-san, we need to see Yuuhei!"

"My brother doesn't want to see anyone connected to Izaya, even his sisters!" He cried.

"Ah, Shizu-chan, aren't you too in love with me to do anything else?" Izaya chirped.

"Shut up, flea! I would punch you in the face if your stupid siblings weren't here."

"It'd be funny to see him get punched in the face, though," Mairu admitted.

Izaya looked completely annoyed at this point.

"Thanks for the owl you gave us! We're taking good care of it!" Mairu chirped.

"That's good to know," Izaya said.

"The main reason we're here is one thing-"

"Besides tormenting the flea and me?" Shizuo said.

"Ah, tormenting Shizu-chan is great fun. Why don't we torment Shizu-chan instead, Mairu, Kururi?"

"YAY!" They both cried, and instantly they turned to face a confused and shocked Shizuo.

"Flea, I'm not in the mood for this!"

"Well, you said you wanted to chase someone, so why don't you chase all three of us?"

"Yay, this'll be great, Iza-nii!" Mairu said.

"I don't fight girls!"

"That's not fair. You have to fight us!" Mairu said, and instantly she and Kururi took off after Shizuo.

Izaya just stood there and laughed.

"FLEA, DON'T BE SUCH A COWARD. DON'T STICK YOUR SISTERS ON ME, COME DO IT YOURSELF."

"All right, Shizu-chan." Izaya said before whipping out his knife and following after them. "This should be quite fun!"

"Hey, Mikado hasn't it been awfully quiet in Ikebukuro lately?" Masaomi said.

"Yeah, I haven't seen either Izaya or Shizuo around," Mikado admitted.

"That bastard's been acting weird lately. He's been acting like he has a heart, which is hard to believe."

At that instant, suddenly they saw a panicked Shizuo running from two little girls with dark hair who were chanting excitedly and throwing things at him.

"Little girls are chasing after Shizuo-san now?" Mikado said in disbelief.

"Take that! This is what you get for not letting us see Yuuhei-san!"

"Stop it already! Stop! I don't throw things at little girls!"

"That's not fair. You throw things at Iza-nii all the time!"

"Flea, stop sticking your sisters on me!"

"But it's great fun, Shizu-chan!" A very familiar voice chirped. It was one Orihara Izaya, and it looked like he was very much enjoying himself.

"Orihara-san has sisters?" Mikado said to Masaomi, who looked just as shocked.

"I'm surprised, too, and it looks like they definitely take after him in the psycho department."

"Hi there, Kida-kun!" Izaya chirped.

"Go to hell," Masaomi spat.

"That's not very nice!"

"Yeah, you should treat Iza-nii better!" Mairu said.

"Ah, Mairu, weren't you just talking about throwing me in front of a truck?"

"Yeah, but it's called Comedic Sociopathy! We read about it on a website!"

"That'd be Disproportionate Retribution, wouldn't it?" Izaya said to himself.

"We like to beat up on Shizu-chan!" Mairu said.

"Shizu-chan...fun to torment." Kururi said.

"Don't teach them to say that, flea!" Shizuo cried.

"Ah, Shizu-chan, you're getting bored already, aren't you? Hi, Ryuugamine-kun."

"Hi, Orihara-san," Mikado said, looking very much like he wanted to vanish off the face of the earth.

"Are these friends of yours, Iza-nii?" Mairu said.

"Sure, go ahead. I'll fight with Shizu-chan. You go entertain them."

Instantly, Mairu came towards a terrified Mikado.

"Wow, you're really cute! What's your name?"

"M-M-Mikado Ryuugamine?" Mikado whimpered.

"Ryuugamine, that's such an awesome name! If only Iza-nii had such a badass name! Why don't we call you Emperor! That's what your name means!"

"N-No, you don't have to," Mikado whined.

"Ah, ladies, I appreciate the fact that you're here, but why don't you go out with me, the great Masaomi Kida?"

"You're too young for us. We like someone like Yuuhei-san."

"The idol?" Mikado said.

"Yes, that's the main reason we came here. We wanted to throw Iza nii in front of a truck! Shizu-chan told us to do that!" Kururi said.

"But he's still your brother," Mikado said in complete disbelief.

"We both love and hate our brother," Mairu said.

"Mairu...wrong thing to say..." Kururi said.

"I'm Anri. You're Orihara-san's sisters?" Anri said.

"Yep! Hey, you're cute!" Mairu said.

"It looks like life in Ikebukuro is back to normal!" Mikado whimpered upon seeing the sisters attacking a terrified Izaya.

"Mairu, Kururi, get off!"

"It is really funny to watch Izaya get tormented." Kida said.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N:Time for the next chapter! I love all the reviews I've been getting.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen Izaya's new game**

Izaya couldn't stand it. Here he was, walking hand in hand with his two annoying little sisters, Mairu and Kururi, and yet Shizu-chan was still following him and he hadn't stopped. "Shizu-chan, I get the feeling you like seeing me in pain here," Izaya moaned.

His sisters were pulling on either side of him and laughing as they did so.

Mikado, Kida, and Anri had gone their separate ways, but not before Izaya had noticed how much Kida had laughed his ass off at seeing his mortal enemy being humiliated. "Oh, yes, Shizu-chan, this is quite fun," Izaya deadpanned.

"You're not having fun, Iza-nii?" Kururi said, letting go of his left arm and shifting positions to walk right beside him, "Why not?"

"Because...you're hurting me," Izaya moaned.

"Wow, Onii-chan, it's not like you have anywhere else to be, right?" Mairu said.

"Not in particular," Izaya said. An idea crossed Izaya's mind then as he whipped open his phone with his free hand. He smirked and sent out a message.

**~Hello there, little 'Mione. I'm sure you know exactly **_**who this is! **_**You know, I never said we'd finished our little game. I originally contacted you so I could use you as a pawn, and you've had so many amusing reactions! If you want, you can visit me. Just look for me whenever I chase Shizu-chan down the street~ It'll be quite entertaining. **

**-Signed, Izaya**

He smirked. "I wonder if she'll send a reply back," He muttered.

"Who are you messaging, flea?" Shizuo demanded.

"Nobody in particular, Shizu-chan. Just another interesting pawn for my game," Izaya purred.

"Yay! You're using a pawn! Manipulating more people? We do it all the time at our school!" Mairu chirped.

"Oh boy, flea, you're teaching them to be just as manipulative as you, aren't you?"

"Yup," Izaya said, "I mean, what would you expect when they have _me _as a big brother?"

"Oh, god," Shizuo remarked, "You Oriharas...you're all insane!"

"Yup, but the entire world is insane, Shizu-chan. Sometimes you become insane as a defense mechanism in order to survive, get what I'm saying?"

"I don't get what you're saying-"

"Of course. I didn't expect your tiny little brain to understand it, Shizu-chan," Izaya taunted. He smirked as his phone vibrated again. 'Hmm...it looks like I did get a reply back from my pawn.'

He flipped it open and he just smirked broadly.

"What does it say, Iza-nii?" Mairu asked eagerly.

"Something private," Izaya remarked.

"Flea, what are you doing?"

"Nothing in particular. It's something private-" He sneered as he read over what he saw.

_I have NO need to talk to you. You're the monster that's replaced my best friend. I want nothing to do with someone as cruel and sadistic as you. _

**That really hurts...that really hurts, 'Mione. I mean, considering...I know I can trust you to not tell anyone, but really you have only yourself to blame for making me into who I am today. But I haven't felt this happy in ages. Still, if you ever want to show up, you can meet me in my office. Just disguise yourself. It's just you'd have to do it by yourself, without any of those annoying pains from that world accompanying you, got it? In other words, you come as a Muggle and you treat me as Orihara Izaya. That's all there is to it. But I really don't feel like inviting you right now, so enjoy your vacation with the Weasley twins. They always have been very surrealistic, which is why they fit in perfectly in Japan. See you later, 'Mione-chan.**

'I'm just using you as a pawn. I can never trust 'Mione. I can never trust any of those magical people ever again,' Izaya thought darkly. 'I can trust Fred and George, but even then that only goes so far. No, there's a man I've got to do business with soon, and that man is...'

"Flea, what are you scheming? I know that look on your face."

* * *

"Nothing at all, Shizu-chan. I mean...it wasn't like I was planning anything evil. Oh, sorry about that," He said as he bumped into someone and then his eyes widened as he realized _Hermione _was standing in front of him with a very surprised look on her face.

"Who's this, Onii-chan? She doesn't look very Japanese." Mairu said, coming on either side of Izaya.

"_Hello there, I assume you're not from around these parts," _

"Flea, if you're gonna do some more of your swindling, I'm in no mood to hear it."

"What did you say?" Hermione said, not having understood a word of Harry's rapid-fire switching from Japanese to English.

He turned back to study her with a polite, almost amused smirk on his face. "_I'm sorry...but I'm on vacation with my little sisters, and Shizu-chan doesn't understand a word of English, so I can't speak English to you. Sorry." _

_"Wait, Har-" _She cried out before grabbing Izaya's shirt sleeve. The thing that incited Shizuo's rage was whenever Izaya smacked her hand away and whipped out his switch blade and slashed her coat, leaving a little gash in her arm which started to bleed. She stared at him in disbelief.

He just looked at her and then smirked. "_Go, run away...useless girl." _

He looked at a furious Shizuo. "...What? You angry, Shizu-chan?"

"You attacked a woman before my eyes, you coward!" Shizuo cried, enraged.

"Okay then, Shizu-chan, let's start another game...HA HA! SEE YOU LATER!" He said as he started to run and winked at his sisters. He looked at Hermione and waved.

"_See you later, Her-My-Oh-Knee. HA HA HA HA HA HA!" _He cried as he ran off, cackling at the top of his lungs, as a crazed Shizuo followed, beet-red as he threw a vending machine at Izaya.

"Punk, you don't just hurt a woman like that!"

"She was interfering with our game, Shizu-chan, that's the only reason I did it. What, you angry, Shizu-channnnn?"

"Hell no, flea. Actually I'm glad. You did that just so the two of us could lose your little sisters so we could have our own game, right?"

"Yep. But I plan on using some of my other pawns. I have this other game I'm playing, see, and I have no intention of losing."

"Flea?" Shizuo asked.

"Y-Yes, Shizu-chan, what is it?" Izaya purred.

"How many people do you use in your games?"

"Well...all of them. I love all of humanity so much!" Izaya chirped.

"Who was that girl? That's the same girl I saw before."

"Just an old acquaintance of mine, Shizu-chan. No one really important."

"You hurt a woman, though. Isn't that cowardly?"

"Heh heh...it's only payback," Izaya cackled.

"You really are sick," Shizuo sniffed.

"There are some people who are more sick than I am, Shizu-chan." Izaya said, twirling his knife around. "My, I'd better clean this off now, shouldn't I, before the blood gets all over it?"

"You are so messed up-"

"I take that as a compliment, Shizu-chan. I'm not an average, boring human being like the rest of you."

"Some days I wish I understood what goes on in your mind, and then I think that I don't want to, I just want to see you crushed to death!"

"Wow, Shizu-chan, you're bipolar. Have you been taking your medication?"

"Yeah, it's called crushing you underneath a refrigerator, flea!"

"This is what I was talking about, Shizu-chan; see, I've missed these games of ours. I've been busy with other stuff, but I'm so glad I returned back to it."

"Iza-nii! Go, Iza-nii, go get Shizu-chan!" Mairu chirped.

"Oh, crud," Izaya whispered.

Hermione gasped as she touched her bleeding arm. "I can't believe Harry did that to me," She whispered.

'I honestly can't believe he would hurt me. Is that really what he's become? He's become so psychotic...I know I told Ron that if I found Harry again, I would never betray him, but he's already betrayed all of us. He's turned his back on the Wizarding World, he's turned his back on our friendship, and on me. Should...I? No, I won't tell Dumbledore. They won't believe me.'

As Kida walked back home, he and Mikado stopped. Mikado was still looking at him with that expectant look on his face.

"Kida...what do you think of my story?" He said, in that cold tone Masaomi was not used to hearing from his best friend.

* * *

"Mikado...I still can't believe it..."

_Kida turned to stare at the young man in front of him. This young man was wearing the same clothes his friend had worn; he had the same spiky black hair and the same height, but...at the same time this young man was a complete stranger to Masaomi Kida. _

_The Ryugamine Mikado he knew was shy, quiet, withdrawn, happy-go-lucky, and he was also a kind and cheerful boy. The person standing before him was __**not **__Mikado Ryugamine. _

_It couldn't be his best friend, for even though the hair and the face were the same, the air around him that should be warm and welcoming was instead cold and distant, not unlike that of Izaya Orihara. There was a blank look on his face; a cold, calculating smile, one that resembled Izaya's. It was a vacant one, too. _

_The worst part of all, though were those goddamned blue eyes. Those blue eyes of Mikado's Masaomi loved the most; these eyes did not possess the light of innocence, these eyes were cold and unfeeling, it looked as though the owner of these eyes held contempt for almost everything in this world. _

_"Kida," The same, cold hard tone that Kida had only heard just now; the stranger said, "You can stay here if you like. I won't force you to stay. I mean, this is the first time I've shown my true self in front of you. You're bound to be...scared." He remarked darkly, staring at him with a faint smirk on his face._

_"Mi...ka..do?" Masaomi whispered, just staring at the cold boy in front of him, who merely nodded his head. _

_"Yes, Kida. What is it that you want of me? Come on and sit down now. I shall tell you about myself...my true self," He said. _

_"W-What do you mean your true self? This all has to be some sick joke, right, Mikado? Mikado! Mikado, come on, this joke is not funny! You and Izaya set up some complex joke about you being the leader of the Dollars, right? Come on, Mikado, drop the act, drop the cold look. Start smiling, start laughing, that's-"_

_But Mikado silenced him with a frosty look. "Kida...this is no act. What you saw before you, the shyness, the innocence, the laughter...that is all an illusion. I put up that forefront as a protective guard, against people like Izaya...of course, Izaya saw right through my act from the start. You, however...I'm afraid to say, Kida, that you are not as perceptive as he. No, I would never lie about making the Dollars. They belong to me, after all." _

_Masaomi reluctantly sat down, not sure whether he should sit close to this stranger. "Who __are __you?" _

_"I'm your friend, Mikado."_

_"No, you're not!" _

_"Yes, I am. I'm the true side of Mikado Ryuugamine. This is just a side of me that I hide. Did you honestly believe my naivete was for real? It was all just an act, that's all. How should I put it...? It all started when I was bored back in my hometown. I had absolutely nothing to do with my life." Mikado said absently, "So some friends and I decided to create an online gang that didn't really exist. We would spread rumors about it, but...eventually, some people actually fell for it, so we created a website for the Dollars. At first, we treated it as a joke. But eventually...more people started joining for no reason. The other creators were all too scared so they fled, leaving only me to control __**my Dollars." **_

_Something about the way he said my sent chills down Masaomi's spine. _

_"And as it turns out...Izaya...he was the one spreading information. He spread the password to all the others. I should have known that the second I set eyes on him. Then I got that invitation from you to come to Ikebukuro, and I'd heard all about how the Dollars were getting big in Ikebukuro. I figured it'd be the perfect opportunity to check up on __**my Dollars **__and see how they were doing." _

_"__**Your...Dollars?" **_

_"Yes, Masaomi. I mean, you were the leader of the Yellow Scarves, weren't you? Izaya told me." Mikado said cheerfully, smiling icily._

_"So...you...lied to me, Mikado?" _

_"Yes," Mikado said frostily. _

_"Why would you lie to me? I didn't want you to wind up like me, lost in the darkness. Why would you-"_

_"Kida," Mikado said coldly, "The Dollars are mine. I know full well what I'm doing. You see, it's just too boring leading an ordinary life. I bear no grudge against you, Kida. None at all. That's why I was waiting to see whether I could trust in you. Whenever you told me the Dollars were a crazy gang, I had to disagree with that notion. And then you got mad at me for asking around about my gang. Of course, the leader has to ask about his members' whereabouts, or his pawns' welfare."_

_"That's why you asked. Why wouldn't you come out and tell me-"_

_"Come now, Kida, would it really be so wise for someone as young as to me to admit to being the leader of the Dollars? Regardless of how intelligent I am, I'm still just a teenage boy."_

_"Mikado...?" _

_"Yes?"_

_"Have you ever...killed anyone?"_

_"I've thought about killing Izaya, but I have not, because I've concluded that he's a lot like me."_

_"A lot...like you?" Masaomi repeated. "You idiot!" He cried before shaking Mikado. "Don't you have any sense? Mikado, you've lost your mind."_

_"I've never lost my mind, Kida. I've just opened my mind. I hope that you won't stand in my way, because we are truly friends. I would hate to hurt you." Mikado smiled a genuine one, much like the Mikado he knew. "That's my story, Kida-kun!" He said, returning to the same Mikado he had been once before. _

_"You won't tell anyone, right?" He whimpered. The innocent look in those blue eyes was back once more, but even still, Masaomi could have sworn he saw those cold blue eyes staring down at him with barely disguised contempt. Had he always stared at people with those eyes? _

_"I won't...tell anyone," Masaomi said. _

_"That's good!" Mikado said cheerily, "And of course, I'll never tell anyone about you being the leader of the Yellow Scarves, Kida!" He chirped with a serene smile on his face._

Even being beside his best friend right now was terrifying. He couldn't stress how disappointed he was with himself and with Mikado. The Mikado he'd encountered that day had been the true side of his best friend. Well, wasn't it ironic? He'd told his best friend to stay away from Izaya and in the end, his best friend was every bit as cold and distant as Izaya himself, not to mention manipulative.

Perhaps Izaya saw someone as monstrous as he was in Mikado, and thus it was the reason why he stalked the boy so much. "Izaya knows, Mikado," Masaomi said, confusing Anri.

"Yes, he knows," Mikado said before smiling.

"Um, Ryuugamine-kun, is there something going on?" Anri said.

"Nothing that involves you, Sonohara-san!" Mikado said cheerily. "It's just between me and Kida-kun."

'_How long _has he been doing this little charade? How long has he been pretending to be so innocent? My god...there's a monster lurking inside my best friend, and I can't stop him,' He thought.

Just like with Saki, once again he was powerless to stop those he loved from falling into the darkness...and it was all because of ORIHARA IZAYA. He was using his friends again.

* * *

Izaya Orihara smirked as he sat in his apartment. His eyes widened then as he received a new visitor, one he'd been expecting to see. "Ah," He said before folding his arms together and looking at his intruder, "I knew you'd come here, 'Mione. And you came disguised as well. Good job," He said as he put down his phone and looked at her.

"Why did you call me here? What do you want from me, Har-"

"I'd advise you not to use that name anymore."

"Fine, Nakura-san, Orihara, whatever the hell you want to go by, tell me why you forced yourself into my life again!"

Izaya chuckled. "_You have the same vindictive spirit as always_," He said in Japanese.

"What?"

"I said you have the same vindictive spirit. One that I remember, let's not forget that you and that idiot were the ones who betrayed me, so why should I show any mercy to you? And how's that wound?"

_"_I...bandaged it," She whispered.

"Good, good. Now, just to make it clear...we're not 100% enemies. But I can't trust you one hundred percent and you can't trust me one hundred percent, either. That's the way it goes, and that's the way it should have gone the very first day we met."

"What do you want?" She whined.

"Please...don't cry. Nothing irritates me more than when a woman cries," He said, "Once I even stabbed a woman when she cried because I wanted her to shut up."

"What a monster you are!" She moaned.

"My name is Izaya Orihara, and I'm not a monster. It's your world that is-"

"It's your world, too."

"Nope, not my world. Not anymore. So you hate him, right? Tell me now...how many times has that pathetic husband of yours beaten you up? I ask not because I am concerned about you, but because I am curious as to whether you want to get rid of him." Izaya said.

Hermione's eyes widened. "No, I would never want you to kill him."

"Let's see...he gave you a black eye earlier this week, he twisted your arm...and my, my, it seems like you have a broken rib. He really has been active on you, hasn't he? So, whenever I slashed your arm, I was merely testing your wound, and it seems to me that it hurts as much as I expected it to." He chuckled before grabbing her arm.

"Don't do that!"

"Oh, good...your arm will heal...as strong as ever," He chirped as he drank some tea.

"You really have changed," She said.

"Have I now? Hm, it's amazing; the wonders that can happen when you're freed from being under control. Don't you want to live a normal life, free from all of that nonsense?" He got up and started to walk around.

"Imagine... if you were in my situation...a young child being beaten up on for reasons he did not understand, alone and neglected, without any friends. And then...once that happened, no matter what he did, he was always called a liar, always beaten up, always treated as though he was nothing. Can you imagine how that child would feel? Resentful, angry, and even...vengeful. Sometimes the child had murderous urges..and then a person shows up from this magical world and tells you that there's this magical destiny laid out before your eyes, but in the end it was all a lie, along with everything else in my life. My name was a lie, so I changed my name to a name that would reflect who I really am."

"As the psychopath you are now..."

"I have obtained true freedom, 'Mione. That's all there is to it." He said before picking up a pawn and moving it across his board, "Of course you are the perfect pawn in my game."

"You just see it all as a game?"

"Maybe, I mean, since you are a human, I love you. I love all humans, but I can't stand the wizards. I couldn't give a damn if they died. That's just how I am. But anyway, I came to you because you see, there's someone I've been looking forward to seeing...a person I still retain affection for, even as Orihara Izaya."

"I don't want to do anything for you," She snapped.

"Hmm...put it this way...either you do my little favor or else, I may have no choice but to kill your husband. What will your choice be?"

"I'll...very well..."

"Excellent," Izaya said before smirking, "Now, the person I'd like to see is the one called Padfoot. I'm certain he's still in hiding, isn't he? There's no danger associated with seeing him."

"What do you want with him?" Hermione cried. The smirk that was on Izaya's face was almost that of her old friend.

"Why...I wish to reconnect with him."

"Harry?" She said in disbelief. Then it was gone and Izaya returned.

"Right...some ties should be kept, after all. Now, that marks the end of our business, so you can leave now."

"_Excuse me?_ You can't just dismiss me like that-"

"Hm, well...you're of no more use to me right now, so honestly 'Mione, you can go away."

"Is this really what you wanted to do with your life? Manipulate and use everyone?"

"Not really manipulate...I'm helping them out with my knowledge."

"That blond guy...is he a replacement for...?" She began.

"Yes, he's sort of a replacement for Malfoy-kun. Well, 'Mione-chan, that's all. Go now, and use the ordinary doors~, _please. No magic at all." Izaya purred.  
_

_"_Do you want to completely sever your ties to magic?" She said.

"Yep, and of course~ not a word of this~ to anyone else." Izaya said.

Hermione was inwardly conflicted as she left the building. On the one hand, she was relieved that her best friend was trusting in her...the fact that one part of him still wanted to see his godfather meant that some part of him still longed for the Wizarding World. Maybe she could get the Harry Potter she knew back and get rid of Orihara Izaya...

On the other hand, the way he had just ordered her around and had just looked at her...with such cold eyes...she knew he would never return. She was lucky that she was in disguise.

"It looks like Harry's dead..."

A new text came up. It was from Izaya.

**No need to cry. Crying solves nothing. I'll let you know when I want to talk to you again. See you later, 'Mione. -Signed, Nakura-san. **

She put the phone away, allowing the silent tears to stream down her face.

* * *

Izaya watched from above with his binoculars, smirking to himself. "Excellent. She's fallen for it, hook, line and sinker."

A part of him was glad to see her again...but he could never trust in anyone from that world again. He would not be fooled.

Sirius had not been expecting a very familiar white owl to come flying in through the window of the hideout he was in and drop a small object in his hands. There was a letter attached.

Hello there, Sirius Black. I have good news for you. Your nephew is yet alive. You will meet him soon. I will lead him to you. Until now, all you have to do is follow my lead. Signed, a friend. P.S. This is a muggle device known as a cell phone. You can meet him out in the Muggle world only.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N:I'm freaking pissed right now as I type this, just like the first time I typed this story up in a heat of anger on Deviantart after the hypocrites (the ones I mentioned in the beginning of this author's note on chapter 1) on there totally mistreated me. I don't know what you guys do when you're angry, but when I'm pissed, I play rock music and metal music and start typing up a lot. **

**"Humans, what a despicable, arrogant bunch of lowlifes."-Izaya, in my fanfiction Oz in Ikebukuro-land**

**Chapter Eighteen The melancholy of Izaya Orihara**

* * *

Izaya Orihara could only cackle as he watched his game unfold. Hermione was indeed the perfect pawn, all he had to do was whisper the right insults at the right time and she would immediately fall under his control. It felt so goddamned right ruling over-well, not really, more like observing and guiding the humans into doing what he thought was right. Perhaps he had become more like Dumbledore than he thought himself to be.

Perhaps he, too, was now the impassive man manipulating his pawns, and using them as he saw fit, and then telling them how to act and how to feel. 'No,' Izaya thought darkly as he picked up another chess piece and glanced at it darkly, 'I know my feelings. I've just chosen to embrace the darkness within.'

Memories filtered right through his mind then, of the numerous times he'd been betrayed and lied to, but he remembered the worst: the one where Dumbledore and Snape had been discussing his 'home' without realizing he was standing right there, listening.

_"Potter is such an egotistical brat. I'm sure he's spoiled rotten at home, Albus. Why must we send him to live with Muggles, anyway?" Severus said darkly. Harry frowned. He knew the man hated him, but to think he hated him this much...Dumbledore would defend him._

_Which is why he was startled when Dumbledore laughed a cold laugh and said, "Do not worry. The aunt and uncle absolutely hate the boy, and Harry is treated like a prisoner. It's just as we planned, Severus. We put him there because we don't want him getting too full of himself, and I've told Pomfrey to ignore the bruises on his body and have convinced her that they're from Quidditch injuries. I've heard Mr. Potter has complained about his family before to Minerva. How did you deal with that, Severus?"_

_The man bristled. "I told her it wasn't her place to pry and that Potter was making stuff up, just like he usually does." _

_"...Indeed."_

_"Aren't you being a little too hard on the boy, Albus? Doesn't he have to stay there because of the blood wards-"_

_"The blood wards are not real, Severus. You and I both know that such magic does not exist. It was just a little story I told Harry to make him believe he had to go back there. Potter is easily manipulated by words alone; I don't need to use potions on him to keep him compliant, the boy already follows my every command without question. It's so interesting, watching him come back, suffering and beaten. I like watching him suffer. Miss Granger and Mr. Weasley have been telling me how much he's been whining like a little puppy about his problems. So, soon, next year...I should start telling him he has to die."_

_'Die? Why? Why would he have me die?' Harry thought in puzzlement._

_"Tell no one what you heard us say. Besides, it's not like the boy's bright enough to put two and two together, anyway. As long as you and I keep spreading the rumors around about Harry, none of his classmates will want to be his friends."_

_'__**Isn't it obvious, Harry Potter? He's just a disgusting existence who's using you. If I were you, I'd kill him. Kill him in order to survive.' **_

_Harry backed away and scurried off, whipping out a pocket knife that he had snagged from Dudley and hurrying away, only to bump into one of his classmates, who tripped him as he fell right over. _

_"Look at clumsy little Potty," Ron sneered, looking at his best friend with a mixture of amusement and satisifaction. _

_"Ron, why would you...?" Harry began, but Ron shushed him and led him into a room. _

_"No one can know about this." Ron said, as he raised his wand. "Crucio!" _

_Every limb of Harry's went on fire as he was knocked to the floor and tortured by Ron and Dean Thomas, who were both laughing. He could feel the anger in him boiling, to the surface...until he stopped. He wiped the blood off of his face, and chuckled darkly. _

_"...Are you done yet with bullying me, Ronald? That was a pretty stupid way to bully someone." He said coldly, startling Ron. His grip tightened on the knife as he came towards Ron. _

_Ron gasped and tackled Harry to the ground and before his eyes he broke the knife in two. Then Harry was beaten unconscious by Severus when he found the two of them there, fighting. Severus had immediately beaten him without listening to Harry's story first._

_Harry could do nothing but cry hysterically, but at the same time, something inside him on that day snapped. He felt hollow from that day on, like something had been torn out from inside him. _

'Right, well, enough musing over the past,' Izaya thought, watching the sun set over the horizon. It had been more than thirty minutes since Mione had left, so there was no need for his people watching right now. Sighing, he stuck his hands in his pockets and realized he was hungry. "I think I'll go see Simon and get myself some tuna from over there. That'll calm me down," He whispered to himself as he fetched his trusty jacket and slipped it on over himself while whistling.

* * *

The sky was now periwinkle as the sun slipped beneath the world, being consumed by the darkness. Izaya shrugged and walked down the street, tucking his hood on over himself so in case Hermione showed up again, he wouldn't be recognized by her.

He couldn't see any of the Wizarding people around...wait, there was a magical person standing guard there and talking to the Weasley twins, who were attempting to persuade them to buy their goods. The person didn't look very convinced, however.

Fred and George caught sight of a figure wearing a familiar black hood on over his features skulking away from their field of vision and immediately tried to call his name, but he ignored them and walked on.

"Was that-" They began.

"Who were you looking at?" The guard asked.

"No one in particular. We thought we saw a Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

"Really?" The guard said in disinterest.

"They do exist, you know," Fred said, "They're multicolored so they can make themselves seem very invisible to anyone who notices them."

"...What's with the Muggles here? They're nuts," The guard said, "Why, I saw some Muggle complaining about his inability to attract girls and he started hitting on his friend's girlfriend. Then I saw some person in a black bike riding around."

As he walked down the street, he ignored Togusa and Kadota as they tried to catch his attention. He wanted to _not _draw attention to himself tonight, but apparently...luck was not on his side tonight. He turned the corner to go to Russia Sushi, spotting Mika and Seiji walking away from him on his right, a nervous Mikado on a date with Anri on his left...and he sighed as he kept on walking and put his hood down...

He immediately heard something heavy being thrown in his direction. 'Oh, no...'

"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIZZZZZZZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYAAAAAAAAA!"

Izaya decided now would be the best time to head into Russia Sushi. After all, _Simon _wouldn't let Shizuo beat him up now, would he? He smirked slightly as he headed there. The black man smiled upon seeing Izaya.

"Ah, Izaya, good to see you. You in mood for sushi? Is that Shizuo? Did you start a fight again?"

"No, not this time," Izaya said smoothly as he walked inside, just missing the refrigerator tossed at him before Simon caught it and scolded a furious Shizuo.

"Shizuo, violence no good. You stop. People get hurt-"

"I'm not stupid! Let me at that flea! Let me kill that disgusting flea!"

"No, no, you calm down."

Izaya smirked as he ate his tuna. Clearly, he was safe now...that is, until he heard a familiar voice interject.

"...Simon, I think I'll be eating here tonight."

'Crap, Shizu-chan is back!' Izaya thought in alarm. Sighing mentally, the informant kept his head down and focused on eating his tuna. He felt the table he was on shake slightly as a fist came down upon it.

"Guess who's here, flea? It's time to play 'Get the hell out of Ikebukuro," Shizuo hissed, glaring at Izaya, who for once, looked absolutely disinterested.

"...I'm eating, Shizu-chan." Izaya pointed out.

"So what?" Shizuo cried, causing all of the customers to look at him in disbelief.

"...Shizuo, you no cause fight in here. This is restaurant, not a rodeo." Simon scolded.

Izaya smirked a little as he ate his tuna. "I think Shizu-chan has timeout."

"What was that, flea?" Shizuo cried, but frowned and stalked off to sit by himself at another table where all the occupants backed away from him.

Izaya just smirked and ate his meal until another unwelcome guest came up beside him.

"Hey there, Izaya! So are you and Shizuo going to make love tonight?"

"What?" Izaya said, turning to look at Erika in disbelief. There were stars in her eyes.

"You know you love Shizuo!" She said.

Izaya shook his head. "Shut up, Erika-chan. Shizu-chan is just a pain in the ass. I'd be happy if he died."

Shizuo fumed as he sat by himself, watching the stupid flea talk crap about him. How dare he sit there looking so satisfied with himself. It was almost as if he had accomplished something major recently. "Bastard," He muttered.

The flea seemed very...nonchalant today. He wasn't moody like he had been the past few days, just not interested in fighting. That was strange. Izaya must be up to something.

He focused hard on his cigarette, but much to his surprise, Izaya didn't make any attempts to insult him at all. If he concentrated hard enough, he could see...fear in his eyes. It was as though he was hiding from someone. Was that why he hadn't called out to Shizuo today?

How odd. Izaya acted more human every time he met him.

"Well, Simon, I think I'm full for now. I'll be headed home tonight. Tell Shizuo good night for me."

'No -chan? Something is up,' Shizuo thought, frowning to himself.

Izaya smirked as he walked out, satisfied at having gotten rid of Shizuo right now. He was in the mood for nothing but a little peace and quiet.

"...Flea."

Izaya ignored him.

"Flea!" Shizuo said, coming up to Izaya.

"What, Shizu-chan? I'm bored right now. But I'm interested in watching rather than fighting right now. I'd rather not draw attention to myself."

"Don't you always, flea?" Shizuo said sarcastically, but frowned upon seeing the serious look on Izaya's face.

"...I'm looking for someone right now...so if you don't mind..." Izaya said dryly before striding off. But Shizuo came right beside him.

"...Are you lonely, flea?" Shizuo asked.

Izaya burst out laughing. "Nope, I'm perfectly fine by myself. I didn't know Shizu-chan was so in love with me!"

"You bastard..." Shizuo growled.

"Ahahaha, Shizu-chan is ever amusing." Izaya laughed.

"...Flea...tell me what you're scheming."

"...Nothing. Just someone I've not seen in a while that I intend on seeing again, that's all."

* * *

Sirius Black was confused as he received some messages from the mysterious person who claimed to know where his nephew was.

There was a final message written there:

**I know where Harry Potter is. If you meet me at a Muggle cafe in Tokyo, I'll tell you where he is. We'll finally get to meet in person, Sirius Black. I look forward to meeting you. And I'm dressed in all black, so look for someone wearing black. Get the pun? -A friend**

Confused, Sirius walked around, wondering what or who exactly he was supposed to look for. He entered a little cafe and eyed all the people in it. He didn't see anyone dressed in black except for a young man sitting in the farthest table, holding a cell phone in his hands, and sipping some tea. He looked at the young man, and the young man smirked as he came near.

_"Hello there, Sirius Black. I'm glad we could meet face to face," He said in bad English. "Do you mind switching to Japanese, please? I'm not very good in English, even though it is my native tongue." _

"Sure..." Sirius said uneasily. He didn't understand that much Japanese, but his magic helped him understand some of it. The man smirked, showing white teeth, an act that intrigued Sirius.

"...That's much better. Now..."

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked eagerly. The man raised one slender hand up to silence him.

"Now, now, I'm going to get to that. Let's just say that your nephew has been through some...changes while he has been living here in Japan."

"What do you mean...?"

"Hmm...how to put it...well he's snapped his wand in half, hasn't he? Then that means he's been living without magic."

"Where is he?" Sirius said impatiently.

"The boy known as Harry Potter went through some changes...and now, here he sits before you as a different person," The man said cheerily, before sipping more of his tea and smirking at him.

"_You're _Harry?" Sirius said in disbelief.

"Yep. It's been a long time, godfather." He said, smirking.

"...But, your eyes-"

"Were changed due to surgery and I got rid of my glasses long ago. They were too recognizable."

"But your scar, Harry-"

"I don't go by that name anymore, godfather. I now call myself Izaya Orihara so if you could call me that, that'd be nice." Izaya said smoothly.

"So...what happened to you?"

"When Ron hit me over the head, you could say I acquired psychosis! Now I only care about achieving my own goals without magic. Humans are far more interesting than wizards ever will be, godfather."

"So...what do you do here?" He asked his nephew.

His nephew smirked broadly. "...I'm an informant. I work for important people, helping them ship important things and people to be picked up by a certain rider. I also do favors for people and they do favors for me. Before you ask, I've done drugs, had a few women and the like."

"But that's wrong!"

"Why not? Rules are for idiots. Besides, I've grown quite fond of this life. And before you ask, yes, I've killed a few people too."

"Killing is wrong, Harry-"

"Call me Izaya, please."

"Izaya?"

"Yes?" He said smugly.

"Izaya, can...I...live with you?"

"Unfortunately, no. There are idiots from that world stationed around here, so I can't allow myself to be seen with you. Right now, we're just fine. I've become an expert at sneaking around. Besides, your point about killing is sort of silly when you realize you wanted to kill Peter Pettigrew, correct?" Izaya pointed out.

As the two of them exited the building...

"Izaya, can I have your owl?"

"We don't go by owls, dear godfather," Izaya said, "Oh, and please step out of the way."

"Why?" Sirius asked.

"Because..." Izaya said in boredom, "Here comes the cavalry."

"IZAYA!"

Sirius watched as a blond man with sunglasses came storming up to him and his nephew.

"Who the hell is he, flea?" Shizuo barked.

"...No one in particular, Shizu-chan. You want to begin our game today?" Izaya chirped as he pulled out his knife.

"Don't use those-"

"I know what I'm doing. Trust me. Now, godfather, you might want to run away, because it's time for me to play my game with Shizu-chan!"

Before Sirius's surprised eyes, his nephew leapt up on a building with amazing dexterity and the blond man followed after him in rage, throwing item after item and scaring people and animals around them. His nephew smirked at him as he threw an object down on the blond man's head and dyed his hair color a different one.

"...This is just like James," He said with a laugh, "He really is like you, James...besides the killing part. I'm proud of him...even if he is a criminal. At least he's alive."

Sirius watched his nephew for a bit more before he went into an alley, morphed into a dog and disappeared back to his home, with a smile on the dog's muzzle.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:Well, time for the next chapter! Did you know Izaya calls Shizuo "You-Know-Who" in the first volume of Durarara? Isn't that interesting? I mean...it only adds more certainty to my 'fanon' idea that Izaya is, or used to be Harry Potter, until he became smarter and became less of an easily swayed, easily manipulated dope. I hate the Harry of the books and wish he became as badass as Izaya is, and hence this story was born. But I think to be done realistically, a broken person/sociopath should never be able to forgive those who wronged them. It'd only be in character with Izaya. So there's no Izaya/Hermione pairing.**

**"****It was a mistake, you said. But the cruel thing was, it felt like the mistake was mine, for trusting you," David Levithan, the lover's dictionary, from ~**

**""He had never regarded other men as anything but puppets of a sort, created to fill up an empty world. He divided them into two classes: those he greeted because some chance had put him in contact with them, and those he did not greet. But both these categories of individuals were equally insignificant in his eyes."-An old man, Guy de Maupassant**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: Misgivings and Mistakes**

_"Where _have you been, 'Mione?" Ron Weasley hissed, glaring at his wife with sharp, piercing eyes, causing her to flinch. "I know full well what you've been doing. You're flirting with some guy behind my back, aren't you?" He said as he whipped out her cell phone and started to read through it, only to realize all the messages were deleted.

"Who the hell were you messaging?" He spat.

"No one, Ron. Now stop accusing me-"

"I'm not accusing you. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED!" He cried as he threw a book at her.

"Stop it, Ron," She cried, terrified out of her wits.

"I won't, 'Mione. Whoever it is that you're seeing...you'd better stop, or else I'll take him out in front of you and skin him alive."

"You couldn't do that even if you wanted to, Ron. It's what I'm starting to hate about you and this damned world!"

"What?" Ron said, staring at her in disbelief.

"You heard me!" Hermione cried. "I can't stand this world. I'm fed up with the lies and betrayal. We betrayed our own best friend, Ron. How the hell can you still smile and how can you live with yourself? How can you wake up every day and smile to yourself, and think that your best friend deserved what happened to him-"

"He's dead." Ron said curtly.

"Well, that may be true that he's dead, but think about what your actions did, Ron. Don't you feel bad about what you did to him-"

"No, he deserved it."

Hermione couldn't stand it any longer. Tears filled in her eyes. "Ron, it's times like this that I wish we'd never been married. You're such a sick sociopath! You only think about yourself-"

Images of a young man with cold red eyes, smirking at her as he slashed her arm with his switchblade and his cruel, mocking words, once her best friend, now a shadow of himself, a cruel demon-

"_Run away, useless girl." _

"Myself? If I only cared about myself, Mione, I never would've married you in the first place! I married you because I love you!"

"Yeah, right!" Hermione cried as she picked up her wand and then aimed a spell at him. "Winggardium Leviosa!" She cried, taking his wand from him and then she lifted him up into the air.

"Mione, stop!"

"No!"

"Stop, please!"

"No-"

"Stop! I'm sorry!"

"You're not sorry at all. Ever since we met, all you do is mistreat me, and I won't stand for it any longer-"

"Mione, whoever it is you're seeing behind my back, you'd better bring him in front of me. I want to see the traitor you've been seeing...and I want to kill him!"

"You can't-killing is wrong-"

"Not when your own damned wife is snooping behind your back with someone." He growled.

"...He'd probably kill you first, Ron," Hermione protested. "He would!"

"Mione...you can't hide anything from me."

"Yes...I can! I'm a human being."

"You're my property, 'Mione. How can you talk like this? I thought we agreed that whenever we marrie, you'd stop thinking about this nonsense-"

"It's not nonsense!" She cried.

"Yes, it is, now stop it!"

"You know what, Ron...screw_ you!" She cried as she ran out, tears streaming down her face._

_'He really was right...Har-no, Izaya...was right. I made a huge mistake,' She thought _as she dropped down onto the sofa and cried. She picked up her spare cell phone and texted a message to Izaya.

'Nakura-san...you were right. Ron has been mistreating me, so I plan on running away from him. I'm beginning to think you were right about what you said-"

* * *

A few moments later, a message came back from Izaya. 'Aha, so you've finally seen reason. I always knew you'd be clever enough to not be swayed by their lies. What do you say you come join my game? Together, we can destroy them.'

'I don't want to join you,' She wrote back. 'I just want you to leave me the hell alone, but at the same time, I just want to get the hell away from this world.'

'You can't...not as long as you're part of Dumbledore...he put a tracking spell on your wand. So long as you have those dinky little things...he can track you and keep you as his tools...'

'Is that why you...'

'Yes, Mione, that's why I destroyed that worthless thing. I don't need stupid, weak magic, and you don't, either.'

'Of course I need it!' She texted back in annoyance.

'Come on back to my office. I'm sure you'll find something very...**amusing **that I've done.'

Dread settled in her heart. 'What? What is it?'

'Ha ha ha, you'll find out when you get here. You'll find it most amusing~"

What on earth was Harry-no, Izaya planning? Whatever it was, it wasn't good. The dread increased as she disappeared in a flash of Floo and used the instructions Izaya had left her and found herself, in his office. She was dressed in her disguise again.

"Orihara, you have a guest."

"Yes, yes~, bring her in, Namie-chan!" Izaya chirped, tapping his pencil on the desk in impatience.

She walked in, noticing that Izaya was staring at her with a smirk on his face. A lazy smirk; it almost looked like there was something akin to surprise in his eyes. His black hair was messy and spiky, and she couldn't even see his scars. Well, if she looked closely, she could see the bottom of the one Ron had given him on his head. She noticed that there was a purple bruise on his right arm, one that Izaya was holding ice to.

"What happened?" She found herself asking.

"Shizu-chan," Izaya said, "We were fighting again, like usual. He beat me up."

"How can you act like that's normal?"

"It is normal for me, Mione. My life is always extraordinary. So why'd you come back here?"

"I need your help," She whispered.

"Oooh, you need my help now? This is extraordinary-"

"You shut up! Can you listen to my story without laughing like you did before?" Hermione snapped.

"Hmm...I don't guarantee that I won't laugh at you, Mione. However, I suppose I'll listen, as long as you fulfill your end of the bargain and become my pawn-"

"I'm not your pawn."

"Ah, you are, Mione. Don't deny it. But all humans are my pawns. That's just how it goes."

"How can you be so heartless?"

"That's just how he is," Namie said.

"Ah, Namie-chan, go ahead and rub the salt in my wounds, won't you?"

"So you don't have any allies?" She said.

"Hmm...I have a few, you could say. A man I consider a true friend and would never betray, Blackie, and maybe even Shizu-chan..."

"The man likes to hurt you, and yet you're calling him an ally?" Namie said sarcastically.

"Oh, Namie-chan, your spirit is so amusing."

"Whatever! I'm out of here. Take your business elsewhere," She said as she stormed out.

"What's wrong with her?" Hermione said.

"Oh, basically, she was the head of a company, and that company went bankrupt, so now I'm making her work for me."

"Against her own will?" Hermione said.

"Yup!" Izaya said happily, which made it all the more unnerving to Hermione, noticing her best friend's lack of empathy.

"How on earth can you laugh that off like it's nothing?" She demanded.

"Because it is! She wanted to help her precious brother, so I'm just fulfilling her wish by having her work for me. She can do whatever she wants, you see. All she has to do is play my game and then she can do whatever she wants."

"No, no games!" Hermione cried. "I just want the full and honest truth from you, Har-er, Izaya-"

"Good," He said sharply, "Now we know exactly what you can call me by, right?"

"Whatever," She cried, "Just tell me what you can do for me."

"Hmm...what can _I _do for you? It's more like what could you do for me?"

"I already did something for you, but I want you to do something for me now."

"All right then..." Izaya said.

She noticed that Izaya was playing some music. "What is that?"

"Hmm...just some music that I like."

**Just play the song Everybody loves me by One Republic. It suits Izaya and it's the song he's listening to. **

"It's quite a catchy melody, don't you think?"

'Whatever," She muttered. "Can you help me?"

"All right," He said, "But let me get everything set up first."

"What do you mean by that?" Hermione demanded.

"Oh, I have some preparations to set up," He said as he walked out, leaving Hermione alone in the office, listening to his music. A few moments later, he walked back in, holding some papers in his hands.

"What did you get?" She asked.

"Oh, just some info on people I can make some deals with. And of course, this is private information, so you're not permitted to look at it." He said as he took out his phone and dialed the number.

"~Oh, hello there, Shiki-san. This is me, Orihara Izaya, Japan's number one information broker at your service! That's no way to greet a friend. Oh, don't worry. I'll definitely pay for that information you gave me. It's not like I'm ungrateful for it, after all you've helped me ever since I came to Japan in search of a job and you gave it to me. So what else would I be besides grateful to you? You've always helped me."

"Har-" She began.

"**Shh," **He said sarcastically, "Oh, who was that? No one in particular, just a client I'm helping out. I have a question, do you have anyone in the Awakusu who'd be able to kill someone for me? Well, you see the problem here is the person lives in a very secluded society. Oh, don't say such words...that really hurts, Shiki-san. Oh, what's that? Akane-chan has run away from home? How interesting..."

"Akane?" She said.

"Shh," He repeated, "Well, like I said, I'm dealing with a very mouthy girl here. No, not a girlfriend, just a pawn. She can't keep her mouth shut, but she's got a good head on her shoulders."

Hermione felt herself blush at those words.

"My my, you're right. We're both manipulative, aren't we? We're just busy fulfilling our own needs. That's just how it is. You want me to find Akane-chan? That should be no problem, I mean, with the wide network of information I have, there's no way I won't succeed. But right now, let's not discuss this in front of her, because she's a witness and there's a chance she could repeat those words to the wrong person, so, goodbye!"

Then he hung up and dialed another number. "Hello, this is Izaya Orihara...oh, why are you on the other end, Ryuugamine-kun? I was looking for...Shizu-chan. Why are you answering his phone? Oh, Ryuugamine-kun, I love your little terms of affection for me. And don't worry, I'm not about to spill all of your secrets, because that would mean I'd have to spill all of mine. But that's for later. What I want to ask you is if you could track down a man by the name of Ronald Weasley. That'd be most helpful. Thank you, and please don't say such vulgar language in front of a woman."

"So...are you done?" She said in annoyance.

"Yup!" He chirped. "I'm finished. I think I've got my information sources straight."

"How will you cover for knowing about Ron?"

"Oh, I told them that he's basically a psycho-"

"But he's not a psycho."

"Oh. come now, Mione. Surely you've come to realize that he doesn't give a damn about you. He's been busy beating you up." He said, while shuffling through the pages of a book.

"What is that you're looking at?" She asked.

"Oh, the Bible...the prophet Isaiah..." He trailed off, smirking as he held the pages.

"So what's with you and Isaiah...?" She asked.

"...I'm highlighting information-"

"So, who's Isaiah?"

"The prophet, like I said before. _My righteousness is near, my salvation is near, and thine judgment is near, so you shall have them trust in you."_

"Why'd you name yourself that?"

"Oh...because I feel like...since I took my name, Izaya from the prophet, Isaiah...because I know I have wisdom to give to the people who don't know anything better."

"So what's your strategy?"

"Hmm...you'll just have to wait and see. But for right now, all you have to know, Mione, is that you can get out of here now, and I will contact you again whenever I need you, for now I'm gonna play it safe and keep away from the wizards. I'm pretty sure Dumbledore is keeping an eye on your movements, isn't he...Dumbbelldore?"

"He's not dumb!" Hermione protested.

"No, you're right. He's a manipulative jerk-"

"Just like you," She spat.

"Ah, but at least I've a pure reason for doing it."

"Whatever," She said. "Why are you looking at the Bible, anyway?"

"Oh, it's interesting literature. But I don't believe a word of it. All right, now go away-"

"What?"

'That's all, Mione. Now don't contact me for a while. I've got to set up some things."

As she left, he turned to stare at the picture of Awakusu Akane. "My, my, why would you run away, Akane-chan?"

* * *

He turned to study his notes and smirked. "Everything's going just as planned." Izaya read back over the furious reply he'd gotten back from one Ron Weasley.

"Mione! Where the hell's Mione?! I know you have her there!'

'~My, my, is this the same person who beat the crap out of her?'

'Whoever you are, just leave her alone.'

'Why don't ~you~ leave her alone? You're such a jerk, anyway.'

'Whatever.'

He turned to look at his book, where he'd highlighted his favorite quotes, and one said, 'Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.' Izaya had also added wizard to the quote as well.

"One of these days, Dumbassdore, you're going to be the downfall of your society.'

* * *

The next day, Mikado and Masaomi were walking when they came across Shizuo walking around.

His eyes widened then as he saw Izaya come out.

"Izaya!" He cried.

"Hey, Shizu-chan. Let's play our game like usual," He purred.

"Good."

'Looks like they're back to normal,' Masaomi thought.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N:I think it's about time some of Izaya's old foes come and meet him. I've been thinking hard about him perhaps meeting Fenrir Grayback or Lucius Malfoy, but eventually I came to decide on Fenrir. You know, the werewolf dude who hasn't been expanded on much, but I think he'd make for an interesting encounter. After all, Voldemort is working with Izaya; why wouldn't his Death Eaters want to check out who their leader is negotiating with? And no, before you ask, Izaya will not be a werewolf, he's just ruthless enough as it is. Izaya is as sadistic as a human being can be without any superpowers. I saw some interesting quotes while I was reading some fanfiction the other day. They talked about Percy saying if "Anyone snapped under pressure, it'd be Potter. I'm surprised he didn't lose it." HA HA! So my theory is not just fanon, it's CANON. Insane Harry is far more interesting than sane Harry, at any rate. Izaya pretty much writes himself. No werewolf, no OOC sex. Sorry yaoi fans, take that elsewhere. At the very least, this is mild Shizuo and Izaya. :D **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty Lupine Desires**

Fenrir Grayback was a complex being; for he was a largely misunderstood creature known as a werewolf; a half-human, half wolf. He was hated and feared by both the Muggle population and the wizards for what he was, and gradually he grew to accept that this fear and hatred of him was only natural.

The wizards were such a cowardly, loathsome race. They didn't bother to use their intellect or their muscles-_to fight back against their prey- _instead they relied on cheap little wands to chant a spell and instantly think all their problems would be gone just by flashing bright light. Oh, without their wands, wizards were certainly most tasty and it was ever so delightful to hear their screams as he devoured them.

He wasn't really a big fan of eating adults, though. He'd much rather go for children, they were so tasty but obnoxiously loud and screaming things that cried and moaned. They were so useless, unlike _his pups, _who knew how to kill from a young age and could take care of themselves, human pups were completely helpless for most of their life. How could they expect to survive when they couldn't do anything to fight back at a young age?

It just sickened Fenrir, seeing how cruel humans were to his pack of wolves; wolves that hadn't done anything to them. He had seen the barbarity of wizards all too often. One time, his entire pack had been attacked while he had been alone hunting in the woods. He still never forgot the whimpers of his mate as she lay there, suffering from the Cruciatus curse that wizards had inflicted upon her.

He would never forgive them for their heinous crimes, but he had only chosen to go with the Death Eaters because they themselves had enough sense to realize that sometimes cruelty was the only way you could obtain a better end in the world, and because they didn't discriminate against his kind, whereas the 'ordinary' wizards were full of themselves and wouldn't let a werewolf keep a house simply because he happened to be part-beast, part-human. Apparently, they forgot about the human part of him that used to care about what they thought, because now he didn't give a damn.

Lately, his master Voldemort seemed to have changed in personality. He seemed brighter and happier than usual. This usually inflicted fear in the hearts of the Death Eaters, wondering if he would kill someone in his bout of murderous rage. He had been talking to them about a new supporter who had been supplying him with information on the wizards and what they were doing. He didn't tell them who it was, specifically, and the Death Eaters knew better than to question his orders.

For whatever secrets Lord Voldemort had, they went with him to the grave. Just like that little whelp who had stood up to Voldemort so many times had..._what _was his name again? Fenrir scratched his head and found that he couldn't recall the boy's name. Harvey...Harold...oh, wait, it was Harry Potter, wasn't it? That boy...had been utterly forgettable and so bland.

If Voldemort was evil, then Albus Dumbledore was one hundred times worse. Dumbledore desired power more than anything, which was why he wanted Voldemort and the Death Eaters out of the way. He was insane in his beliefs; insane over the idea that the wizards and humans could ever get along. Look what they had done to him and his pack. Humans couldn't be trusted.

Wolves, on the other hand, had an honor code and a sense of duty. They knew which pack to stay out of and which to enter. Fenrir's pack was his family, and he would never let any harm come to them. Currently, he had been bored with life in the Wizarding World, so he had decided to hang around with his pack some more. At least, that was until he heard some juicy information.

"...Wormtail, don't you question my orders! You are not to pry into matters that do not concern you, namely the case with the man who gives me information! I am upholding my deal with him by not giving you his name. For he, too, will meet his end at my hands, when I am done with him, but in an honorable way. I will let him know when he is to die. No, Wormtail, you are not to meet this man. Are you disobeying me?"

Wormtail, such a cowardly individual. He turned into such a juicy looking rat, too...the wolf's mouth fell open, imagining himself eating the delicious, plump rat. It would be so good, too. But he couldn't, so he was disappointed.

Voldemort looked at him. "Did you overhear?" He said sharply.

"...I heard a few things. Who is this person of yours?"

Voldemort smirked. "...Not to worry. _He _is quite an amusing human. I just can't wait to see the look on Dumbledore's face...when he sees what has become of his...tool..." He trailed off.

"What do you mean?" Fenrir questioned, wondering what the man was on about.

A few days later, the mysterious guest showed up again, and once more, the Death Eaters were ordered out, but their curiosity would not permit them to stop asking questions about the stranger their leader was talking to.

Fenrir's keen nose caught a whiff of tuna, for some strange reason, and of...a limited magical aura. How strange. Why would Voldemort even work with a man that had no magic in him? In other words, this man was either a Squib, an unthinkable concept...or...a _Muggle? _

Fenrir had grown curious about the man, so he decided to follow the weak magic link the man possessed with his keen nose. To his surprise, the link led him to Japan, of all places. What would a wizard be doing here, of all places?

* * *

Curiosity filled his being as he watched the annoying humans with contempt in his eyes. They had no respect for his kind, why should he have any for any of their kind? An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. That was the way things worked.

He saw a few children beating up on another kid, one who was smaller and wasn't fighting back. Fenrir just rolled his eyes. Humans were all too primitive for their own good. There wasn't a single one among them that had any brains.

Then he saw a man beating up on a woman. He frowned. Wolves didn't beat up their mates. It was a mutual respect between the two. How uncivilized.

"...My, my, what do we have here? Nothing but a man who likes to take out his problems by beating up on women now, huh? Such an interesting, yet utterly tedious fellow you are," A snide voice said. Definitely cultured and intellectual, and definitely arrogant.

"...Stay out of this, kid. This isn't your business!"

"Oh? Really, then why are you beating her up where everyone can see? In that case, aren't you just showing off your domestic problems because you love doing it? What an arrogant man you are! It's so pathetic, really. You see, people like you are so utterly useless. The same goes for you. Why won't you fight back? If you don't fight back, you're as good as dead." The voice sneered.

Fenrir saw a young man in his early twenties step out, smirking darkly, a look of vague amusement hovering in his crimson eyes. Oh, this man..._he lived for thrills. _There was a taste of something familiar about him, yet unfamiliar. He had spiky black hair and wore a fur jacket, probably artificial, he thought in distaste. For a moment, he couldn't believe someone so young could utter such bitter and cynical words.

"...You arrogant little punk!" The man cried, coming at the boy, who lazily dodged the blow, jumping to the side with amazing speed before he cleaved the man's shirt and pants in two with his switchblade, allowing only his underwear to show. The crowd around them burst out laughing at the scene and the red-faced man started to curse at the boy.

"My, my, such vulgarity. It's all too _typical_ for a disgusting human like you. Should I let you live...or should you just live with this humiliation and wallow in it?" He sneered. Fenrir found himself taking a liking to the kid.

Blunt honesty was the best way to be. Sometimes, people didn't understand things any other way.

"...Who are you?" The woman moaned, staring at her savior. The boy sighed.

"Look, I'm _not_ interested in you or your affairs. I only 'rescued' you so you could shut up and stop annoying me with your little argument. Frankly speaking, if you're being abused, you should do more to resist. Stop being such a wimp. So, to be honest, I don't want you at all. Just disappear, okay?" He said sarcastically.

The woman cried and ran off. The crowd around them dispersed, most looking at the boy in shock. The boy rolled his eyes and waved sarcastically at them as they left. Strange...the magical aura was coming from this boy. Yet he didn't seem to have a wand on him at all. He'd have to be stealthy, then. Approach him quietly...then interrogation time...

The boy blinked as everyone else walked off and then stuck his hands in his pockets and started to whistle a tune as he wandered away. Perfect. He was just vulnerable enough that Fenrir could strike. Fenrir followed, as quietly as he could and the boy never noticed. They had gone several blocks when...

"...Look, whatever it is you want from me, state it now. There are no witnesses here, so if I wind up killing you or you wind up killing me, no one will care." He said monotonously as he turned back to meet the eyes of the werewolf. Those were the eyes of a killer.

"...Are you a wizard?" He asked.

The young man blinked, and then sneered. "...You mean you're one of _those_ fools? Sorry, but I don't go waving around something that's supposed to make up for something I'm lacking anatomically or whatever you want to call it. I'm not that insecure."

"...So you are associated with them? Is that why you have a magical aura?" Fenrir questioned.

"Look, I'm not a wizard, so just drop it. I would never want to be associated with cowards who abandon their own kind when they need them most. What are you, a human...or...something else; perhaps someone who's been mistreated by the ignorant wizards?" He smirked.

"...I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. I'm a werewolf; Fenrir Grayback. I could kill you in a second and make you like me and no one would care."

"Ooh, am I _supposed_ to be scared? It's not like you'd want to. I am just an ordinary Muggle, after all. Oh, wait...maybe that's not quite correct," He said calmly, and then smirked. "...I don't think Shizu-chan will be here, so we can talk here if you'd like!"

Fenrir paused. Didn't this man have any sense of fear? "Who are you?" The kid had spunk.

The man's crimson eyes glowed with excitement, much like Voldemort's. "Some call me an informant, others call me a hero or their savior. You can just call me a lover of humanity."

"...Don't you fear me?" Fenrir asked.

"Fear is a weak emotion for weaker individuals. There's no need for me to possess it when I already live around death. Death is a part of life. Better to accept it than deny it." The man said with a dark chuckle.

"...You've taken lives before?" He said.

The man chuckled darkly. "Yes. I enjoy every moment of it." He said, licking his lips. "Or else watching it is enjoyable as well. You're a real werewolf? How interesting."

"...Are you the man Voldemort's been meeting with?"

"Yep, but why should you care? It's not like I possess any magic!" The man said cheerfully. "In fact...I'm completely powerless, so you could kill me if you felt like it. Why aren't you?"

"...You don't seem stupid. What's your name?"

"...Hmm...well, my name is Izaya Orihara, an informant. Nice to make your acquaintance, Fenrir-san." The man extended a hand and Fenrir accepted, confused by the man's casual tone. How could he be so confident around a werewolf?

As if reading his thoughts, the man laughed. "...I don't care. I want to live above everything else. What you see before you now is the result of careless, disgusting people known as wizards who-"

But before he could say anything else, a garbage can collided with the man, sending him flying.

"...What kind of spell was that?" Fenrir said.

"I-IIIIIIIZZZZZZZAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAA, GET OUT OF IKEBUKURO!" A deep voice cried.

Izaya got back up, wiping the blood off his face, smirking dangerously. "Let's get going, then...Fenrir-san, you may want to leave now. Oh, and just so you know...I was once a wizard known as the Boy-Who-Lived, but that's ancient history!" He said before cackling madly and speeding off towards his adversary.

"...Harry Potter is now a deranged psychopath? What a _wonderful_ world this is!" Fenrir cried, having forgotten about the need to make him a werewolf. The man was brutal enough and down-to-earth for a mere human being. He had no need of it. Now...there were others who could do with it...such as one Albus Dumbledore...or perhaps that stupid boy...the son of Lucius Malfoy.

'To think I ran into a werewolf! How interesting this day is turning out to be.' Izaya thought happily.

'Who would've ever thought the Boy-Who-Lived would give up his magic to become a Muggle?' Fenrir thought, smirking to himself. The boy was most amusing and delightfully psychotic.

He needed some insanity in his life.

"What are you so happy about, Orihara?" Namie said darkly as Izaya strode back into her apartment, laughing hysterically.

"...Shizu-chan..." He said, laughing again.

"Whatever...Seiji actually bothered to come say hi to me today," She said. "But that stupid girl tagged along with him."

"...She's actually quite the crafty type, that one is," Izaya murmured. "She's placed wiretaps in this place. So be careful."

Namie's eyes widened. "That little bi-"

"Now, now, no cursing. We _are_ being wiretapped. What would they think?" Izaya said sardonically.

* * *

"You are infuriating!"

"I enjoy being infuriating!" Izaya chirped, as a steaming mad Namie left, intent on throttling that stupid girl who had stolen her beloved Seiji away. "...Namie...your incestuous crush is quite disturbing...but ever so entertaining."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N:Happy birthday, Izaya! For his sake, this story will be updated today. :D I hope you all sincerely enjoy the chapter. Yes, I know Harry's birthday is July 31st. I'm not an HP fan for nothing. I find it sincerely interesting that his birthday is days apart from Sasuke's. XD Cool, huh? Well, on to the chapter. Two days late from Izaya's birthday...oh, well. There may be a few scenes with Celty in here, and we also meet Akane Awakusu! Yay! :D And 127 follows and 135 favorites? You guys rule. For some other evil Harry fanfictions which have him being another character, you might want to check out Abyss of Silence, Two for One Deal, Frozen Emerald Eyes, Cursed Green Eyes (one by me with Harry as Jack Vessalius)...etc. I can't really think of any others off the top of my head. Tell me if you know~ I really wish there were more fanfictions on here about Harry wising up and running away and becoming someone else. :/ I had a dream about Harry being Izaya, actually. I know because I wrote it down in my dream diary. O.O On to the chapter...**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One Izaya's Machinations**

"These humans really make me so tired," Izaya Orihara remarked. The twenty-three year old man turned to look at the clock on the side of his desk in his office and noted that the time was 11:23 p.m. He sighed.

He was used to working long hours at night. Hell, he was pretty used to staying up late all night; he was an information broker, after all, and he had to work odd hours and doing things for all sorts of people. Right now, what he was currently looking up were the last sighted locations of Awakusu Akane. He had sent Namie-chan in order to do some sort of research into where the little girl was.

He wanted to figure out where she was because first, she was only ten years old, after all, and as Izaya thought back over it, he was reminded of himself at a young age, of how many times he had stared out the window at night and dreamed of running away from the Dursleys, of being away from that cupboard.

Every single time he had tried to question the Headmaster about it, the Headmaster had told him he would just have to get used to his big, mean uncle, even after Izaya had shown him the bruises he'd acquired from years of spending time with them. The only one who had taken him seriously had been Minerva McGonagall.

She had immediately demanded to know where they lived and why Dumbledore had told him to stay there, but later on, she didn't take him seriously and she had told him to stop making up such tales; and deep inside, that had hurt. It really, deeply hurt for him as he realized that the people he thought he could trust...that they no longer trusted him. It was heartbreaking to have such a young child think all of that stuff...to think that the world would never care about them, to think that they would never, never love him unless he did as he was told.

Oh, sure, he'd tried to go to other people; he had told that batty nurse, Pomfrey or Pomegranate, about some of his bruises and he remembered her wide-eyed looks of horror. He remembered her concern that he had brushed off when she had been worried about a particularly nasty bruise he'd gotten from dear old Uncle Vernon when he'd been whacked across the foot. Oh, the bruises had healed, but some of the scars still lingered.

He raised up his left arm, staring at it, eying the pale scar that was still on his left arm. There it was, faded and white, it was just a pale mark now, a mark of an incident that had happened nearly...twenty years ago. It had almost been eighteen years...well, nineteen years, to be more exact, if you counted his birthday was coming up in a few days.

Nineteen years since that bright, sunny day whenever he had been attacked by the dog. 'Man, I really can't stop yawning, now, can I?' Izaya thought, stifling one with his right hand and allowing those memories to flow back into his head.

He could recall how he'd been wandering around his yard, and then he had seen his Aunt Petunia, who had never been like a pretty flower to him; more like a weed. Even as a little kid, Izaya had known he had traces of sociopathy even from a young age. From a young age, he'd always shared a unique bond with animals, particularly cats. He never bore them any ill will, but he tended to lash out at others.

For some reason, from the time he went to Hogwarts, he felt like it was suppressed, somehow. Izaya had always been very good at observing people; he had always known how he could avoid his uncle's scathing looks, the beatings he would get from them, a whisper or two behind his back by Ron and Hermione. He'd always been particularly good at avoiding them, but...

Slowly, he raised a slender finger and touched the wound.

"To think it all happened...so long ago. My, time really does~ fly, doesn't it? Heh heh heh...I mean, I certainly would never think of myself living in Japan. If I could travel back in time to visit poor little Harry Potter and tell him he would live a life away from all of those idiots...doing his own thing. I'm sure Harry Potter would had a heart attack on the spot. I really am tired today, aren't I? But I've gotta figure out where Akane-chan is," He muttered.

He could recall that annoying bulldog; the one that his Aunt Margarine had kept with her all the time. It seemed from the second they had met, the bulldog had taken a dislike to Izaya; much like a certain bartender with blond hair had...Izaya resisted the urge to laugh.

He frowned as he recalled the time the bulldog had chased him up a tree and he had stayed up in the tree, frozen in fear, too afraid to really do anything. Oh, of course his cousin Dudley had gotten a great kick out of seeing his 'cousin' being chased by it.

He couldn't remember how long he had lain up there in terror. He rummaged around in his drawers for something...something he needed. It just would not come about. He remembered how Petunia had reluctantly put antiseptic on his wound. For a rare moment, Izaya found himself wondering if perhaps she had actually cared about him, but...that was unlikely. As he searched, a few papers slid into his lap. He stared at them and realized it was a picture of a smiling Akane with a room full of her friends, who were smiling, but it looked forced.

"Isn't that familiar?" Izaya snarked. "Putting a child through that set of circumstances...it's all too similar to my own childhood," He muttered. "I can understand why you'd want to run away, Akane-chan. After all, my life...I was used, lied to, manipulated, and even tortured, so yes I can understand why. You're just about my age when I went into that stupid society..."

It was true that Izaya was a criminal, and that he was dishonest; that was the way of the world. He really couldn't stand hurting kids, and that was why when he looked at the runaway girl, he felt a strange kinship between them.

Hey, he had run to Ikebukuro to escape the clutches of the hellhole called the WW. He had been resentful, angered and jealous, but he had mamged to reshape himself into the illustrious, ruthless, smart, and on the surface, secure psychopath.

"I'm anything but secure," He whispered, yawning again and then closing his eyes...for some reason, he felt awfully tired today and allowed himself to fall asleep for a little while, just until Namie-chan would find him some information on Akane-chan's whereabouts...just for a little while...the informant relaxed as he fell asleep. Unfortunately, when he went to sleep, the conscience of the former Boy-Who-Lived came to the surface and his past often came to haunt him in his dreams.

* * *

_"Wake up..." A familiar voice muttered. Groaning, Izaya turned over. _

_"__**Fuck off," **__He cursed in Japanese. The voice paused._

_"What did he say, Ron? I couldn't understand him in the slightest." _

_"...Blimey if I know. What is he, a Muggle? He doesn't look like a wizard and he has no wand on him, either. Ya think maybe he knows something about that git?"_

_"Now's not the time to discuss Harry, Ron. Not in front of a Muggle. We might have to obliviate his memories." _

_Izaya stirred then, opening his crimson eyes and blinking a few times as he realized he was looking up into the faces of his traitorous friends, Ron and Hermione. They looked...younger. Oh, he was dreaming again. That figured. He looked down at himself; same fur jacket, same silver ring on his finger, same scar he'd gotten fighting with Shizu-chan...yup, he was himself. _

_He got up and brushed their hands aside with a scornful look on his face as he wandered away, brushing himself off. Everything in this dream felt so real, though. It felt almost like a memory of some sort. Izaya blinked and stared at his reflection, then gasped. He saw a boy with black hair and green eyes, dressed in overgrown clothes and wearing glasses, with a scar on his forehead. Wait...no, he blinked, and the image faded to show an Asian young man with spiky black hair and red eyes...__**his face. **_

_'That's good. I'm myself in this dream.' He thought, smirking as he examined himself, noting that he looked quite good, despite the bruise Shizu-chan had given him on his shoulder the other day and the bruise he had on his arm. A hand went to his forehead, where his scar was from Ron's wand...he could feel it. It didn't tingle, though. His other scar didn't, either._

_He could feel the magical auras of people all around him, but they couldn't feel his, because his connection with his wand had been severed long ago. He smirked and then noticed his 'friends' were trailing curiously behind him, wondering who he was and what he was doing here. _

_He smirked at them both and decided to say in Japanese, "__**Long time no see, traitors...or should I say, former friends?" **_

_"What'd you say?" Ron said. _

_"__**Not too bright, are you, Ron-kun? I figured as much." **__Izaya chuckled darkly, an act that spooked the two, who were evidently noticing there was something off about him. Good...they could fear him now...which was what he wanted them to feel...sick traitors._

_"...Don't insult me!" Ron barked, understanding Izaya was mocking him and not liking it. _

_"Too bad...ginger...I don't speak English too well...but I can tell, you're awfully stupid, no?" Izaya snarked, enjoying watching the boy's face turn beet red with anger._

_"Don't make fun of my friend! Who are you and how could you land inside Hogwarts?"_

_"...That sounds like the name of a prison, Miss...?" _

_"Hermione. Hermione Granger. And this is Ron Weasley. You are...?" _

_"...Nakura-san. My name is Nakura-san." He said, flashing a fake smile. _

_"That sounds like a fake name," She said. _

_"It is," He replied. "I don't wish to give out my real name to strangers." _

_He smirked at them both as he tucked his hands into his pockets and walked off, whistling, only to blink as a stone pillar was thrown right at him. He dodged. _

_**"IIIIIIIIIZZZZAAAAYYYYYAAAAA-KUNNNNN, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?"**_

_"__**Ah, right on time, Shizu-chan~" **__Izaya purred, "I see you were sent here as well." _

_"__**Where the hell are we, flea? And who are they?" **__Shizuo roared, startling the two traitors into a stunned silence._

_"__**These two are the people who betrayed me, Shizu-chan. They're the ones who made me insane. You remember what I told you, right? It wasn't too long before I found Akane-chan that I decided to tell you...my story..." **_

_**"...I won't tell anyone, flea. You're mine to kill, and mine only. I won't let anyone destroy my enemy and take advantage of him again. This Dumbassdore will die for what he did to my rival."**_

_**"My, Shizu-chan, you really are starting to like me, aren't you?" **_

It was then that Izaya awoke and realized it was morning already. There was no call from Namie, so he figured she hadn't found the girl yet. There was a call on his phone from..._Shizuo. _Izaya blinked in surprise and lifted the phone up to his ear.

"Shizu-chan, why'd you call me?"

"_Shut up, flea. I want to talk to you privately. I want you to tell me __**all that you're hiding." **_He said sharply.

"I can keep secrets if I want, Shizu-chan." Izaya teased, then realized this scene felt awfully familiar...he'd done it in his dreams and now this event was happening right now. He felt queasy all of a sudden.

Shizuo had already hung up. Izaya sighed. "It's probably time I tell Shinra, too..." He whispered.

Shizuo glared at Izaya as the latter strode casually into his apartment, acting like he owned the place, but he looked surprisingly nervous.

* * *

"You're sure this place isn't bugged?" He asked.

"Nope. I checked already," Shizuo said. "Now, we're free to talk, flea. Tell me everything."

"...All right," Izaya agreed reluctantly. "...As you know, my real name-or, my birth name, was not Izaya Orihara. I chose this new name for myself shortly after I arrived in Japan."

"...How long ago was that-"

"Nine years ago," Izaya said darkly.

"But you-you didn't, did you-?"

"Yup, I ran away from another country...or to be more specific, England. I was born and raised in England, so unless you listen closely, you can't even tell I have an accent. My English now is deeply accented, so I sound like a native Japanese to the average speaker. I was fourteen when I did so-I'm twenty-four years old now."

"...What's your real name?"

Izaya hesitated. "My birth name was...Harry. Harry Potter, but I don't go by that name anymore. Too many bad memories, Shizu-chan."

"I'm still confused,"

"You're bound to be. Now let me explain...my parents...Lily and James...they weren't ordinary...they were mythical people, a wizard and a witch..."

"Wizards and witches _exist, flea?" _

"Yes..." Izaya said, his fists tightening. "I used to be one of them."

"What were your parents like?"

A hard look crossed Izaya's face. "They died when I was a year old, Shizu-chan. They were murdered."

A surprised look crossed Shizuo's face and he dropped the cigarette he was holding onto the floor and he stomped it out quickly. "You're not serious, are you?"

"Do I look like I'm joking, Shizu-chan?" Izaya scoffed. "Anyhow, there's this community called the Wizarding World. They're very backwards-minded and don't believe in 'Muggle' technology or customs. They do everything with magic and wands, so they don't believe in doing anything without a wand. They're a very narrow-minded and stupid group of idiots. So...there was this man called Voldemort, who led this group called the Death Eaters. He wanted power..."

Shizuo was listening avidly. Izaya didn't sound like he was lying. It was rare for him to be so serious.

"...He learned there would be a child born who could defy him and eventually destroy him. That child was me. As you can guess, he murdered my parents. My mother died protecting me, and somehow, I destroyed him. Then I was taken by a man named..._Albus Dumbledore..._a sick son of a bitch. He decided...that since I had no parents, I should be sent to my relatives, my aunt. They didn't have magic and didn't understand that world...so, instead of explaining anything to them, they left me all alone on a doorstep with just a note. Without having any contact with that world until I was eleven so they could 'collect' me; Dumbbelldore thought me having no knowledge would suffice."

"...My god...that's terrible, flea-"

"There's more, Shizu-chan. You see, Dumbbelldore is the head of the school for magic I went to. But he's like me-manipulative and ruthless. He's much worse than I am. He doesn't give a damn about human lives. He left me with those people, knowing how they would treat me and he didn't give a damn."

"What about your life there?"

"...Hmm...I wasn't allowed to sleep in a room and just in a cupboard, I had to wear oversized clothes, do all the work around the house and make everyone's food for them, starve, and if I didn't, I'd be beaten, whacked, whipped, etc. I got used to it. I had no friends at school, either. Even then, I had traits of my sociopathy. Then the school came to collect me in the form of a giant, Shizu-chan. Right away, I was controlled. I was fed lies about my school and my heritage. Immediately, I met and 'befriended' a boy named Ron. It turned out...he was just a tool, too..."

He immediately launched into an explanation of his first year, then his second and third, and Shizuo sat there in stunned silence, watching as his hated rival suddenly became more human in front of his eyes. It actually made sense, how he acted and why he did what he did. Why hadn't he seen it before?

"...So, what happened to make you leave?"

"Funny you should ask that. Well, I was selected for a killing tournament without my permission or me being allowed to vote out of it. My best friend wouldn't talk to me afterwards. So I went to Hermione and Ron and overheard them talking about how they were sick of pretending to like me. I confronted them and Runt got mad and whacked me over the head with his wand...giving me a concussion and this scar here. When I woke, I was in the hospital and then I heard all the people I trusted insulting me and acting like I was nothing...I was shattered then and there, but something inside me snapped. I left a note cursing those fools out and snapped that wand in half, destroying my magic and left to save my own hide. I also developed psychosis from Runt's actions, Shizu-chan. So, after that, I sunk into the underworld, doing my fair share of crime in exchange for changing my name and how I looked. That's what happened, basically. And those men...they're old friends of mine...and that girl...she's the one who betrayed me before. I'm currently hiding from those fools." Izaya finished, watching his rival.

"...Is that all really true-?"

"Yes, it is, Shizu-chan. Now, will you tell everyone?"

"No...if you want to be hidden, I can understand why. I could never sell you out to people like that. You're my rival and I'm the only one who can kill you. You make me sick and I despise you, but I think...now I understand you more. I'm glad you opened up to me. I won't tell anyone...and we'll make that bastard pay for what he did to you. I want to kick his ass myself."

Izaya chuckled. "Shizu-chan, I knew you'd react this way. I'm glad you were able to listen to me!" He cried.

"Does anyone else-"

"Nope, Kida-kun and the others have no idea...I don't want to involve them." He said coldly. "I just want to kill that old man myself."

Shizuo just smirked. "There's the flea I know. We'll kick their asses together and then I'll kill you."

Izaya smirked.

"Aren't you going to smile?" Shizuo asked.

"I lost my ability to smile long ago, Shizu-chan." Izaya said in amusement.


	22. Chapter 22

**Now I'm quite happy with this story of mine. So, to the anonymous coward, I have this to say: if you're expecting something lighthearted and happy like My Little Pony or Care Bears, go read that. But don't expect a story with the **_**psychopathic Izaya **_**as the main character to be anything but disturbing. Ordinary people are going to be sickened by the way Izaya treats people; that's how he is, if you can't handle that, go read something light, or better yet, go read the books where Harry is obnoxiously naive and forgiving and acts nothing at all like a real person. This is an AU story-and unfortunately it falls by the cliches of Dumbledore Bashing and Weasley bashing-but I've been trying to not fall into it that much-I've seen how easily good fanfiction can be ruined by too much bashing. So if you don't like this, push the back button and go read something else. That's all for that; now on to the next chapter. **

**Chapter Twenty-two Akane-chan, found**

* * *

Shizuo stared at his hated enemy, the flea, who was still smirking at him with that same contemptible grin on his face;...but now, everything made sense. His toying with others, his depraved nature...all of it had been made and not necessarily born; he could easily see now how the flea had once been an ordinary human...or as ordinary as a person with _magic, _of all things, could be.

"...You feel bad for me, Shizu-chan?" Izaya snarked. "I know full well you won't tell anyone, not even Shinra, because you see me as your rival and that would ruin any of the fun we have in our games."

"...To be honest, flea, I understand what Celty meant by you being a broken person. You weren't always this sick in the head and twisted...you were-"

"Doing it to survive, yes," Izaya said happily, "You see now what I meant? Sometimes it's when you've lost your mind that everything makes the most sense, as strange as it is."

Shizuo stared at his enemy. "...So, you don't honestly feel anything anymore?"

Izaya shrugged. "I feel the same things you do, anger, pity, fear, sadness...regret. I just choose not to dwell upon them. It's stupid to dwell on things of the past. That's what I believe, anyway..."

He sighed then as he whipped out a can of ootoro from his freezer and ate; slowly but surely, never taking his sharp, piercing eyes away from Shizuo. "...Shizu-chan, I don't feel the need for you to cry for me, or hug me or anything. I don't need anyone except myself."

"...You're wrong," Shizuo said, "You can't live all by yourself. You need someone. Now that I think about it, you're probably just a lonely person, huh?"

"Not really..." Izaya said, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't care about anyone except myself...that's just how it has been since that day when I lost everything...now, of course...I expect you to never tell anyone else of this, understand? Or else I will kill you, Shizu-chan."

"You don't want to," Shizuo deduced. "You don't want to kill me. Am I that entertaining of a tool to have around that you have to keep me alive? What's your reason for doing so?"

"...You're very fascinating. That's why," He said before twirling his pocket knife around. "Imagine...two humans, both afflicted with differences; one with superior intellect and knowledge, another gifted with super strength...and then the world...the world envies them for their gifts and misuses them and hurts them. It's a sad truth, isn't it?" He said darkly.

"...I suppose," Shizuo said slowly, not sure what to say to his archenemy, to the person who had mostly made his life hell from the time they had met. "So, why do you do this? Why did you tell me all this, if you don't trust a single person on earth?"

"..." Izaya was silent. "...I can trust you, Shizu-chan. I can trust my stupid rival to be so sympathetic that he won't bother to tell anyone."

"Flea, I can't trust someone like you." Shizuo said in annoyance. "You're such a stone-cold, broken down, manipulative bastard."

"You're a stupid protozoan who doesn't know when to stop smoking and can never shut up. Do you see me complaining about you?" Izaya snarked, glancing at him with such amused red eyes that Shizuo had to jump back.

"Flea...are you happy?" Shizuo said in disbelief.

"Nope, just enjoying myself. I can never feel fully human," Izaya said happily, "But that's what I despise. That part of me is still tied to that stupid place-"

"You'll never go back there, flea. I won't let them hurt you."

Izaya laughed. "Ha ha, Shizu-chan, are you worried about my well-being or something? Don't be absurd. I can defend myself."

"...I'm the only one who gets to beat you up, flea," Shizuo remarked. "I'm going. I can't stand the smell of ootoro; it's driving me nuts."

"Ahahaha, now you're saying that, huh?" Izaya teased, but Shizuo ignored him. Suddenly, there was the sound of lightning as thunder crashed outside and a fierce rainstorm came down.

"...How long has that storm been going on?" Shizuo asked, staring at the rain in disbelief. "There's no way I'll be able to go outside in this weather."

"Is little Shizu-chan afraid of a thunderstorm?" Izaya snarked.

"Shut the hell up, flea!" Shizuo cried in annoyance. "...I'll hit you!"

But at that moment, Izaya's phone rang. "Hello? Oh, didn't you know it's not smart to be ton the phone during a thunderstorm, Namie-chan? Oh, don't say such awful things~ Oh, you've found her~? Wonderful. Bring her in, please..."

Izaya smirked as he watched the sight of the brown sky outside. "...That rain is awful, isn't it?" He said darkly.

"...I don't like the rain," Shizuo said, as the door opened and Namie walked in; behind her was a small child, covered with rain.

* * *

"Here she is...I'm going home..." She spat, not sparing another glance at Izaya.

"~Thank you, Namie-chan!" He said out loud as he got up, looking at the little girl in disbelief before a smirk made its way on his face.

"...Who are you?" The little girl said, shuddering. Obviously she could sense Izaya's criminal-like aura.

"...I'm an informant and I was asked by your family to bring you back home!" He chirped, at which she started to shake.

"I don't want to go back there..." She whispered.

"...You have no choice but to," Izaya started to say, but frowned.

"...Flea, you're heartless. Let me talk to her," Shizuo said before smiling. "...Ignore the flea over there. I'm Shizuo. The stupid flea is a criminal who will probably use you like a tool."

"Shizu-chan, that's not very nice!" Izaya protested. "You're just being mean to me for no good reason..."

"In your case, flea, you deserve it," Shizuo said.

"I don't want to go back there...everyone was just pretending to be happy..."

"Ah, but humans all lie, Akane-chan," Izaya said darkly. "Why, I lie, too. Everyone lies to one another. That's the way of this world. Also, you do know you're not the only one who ran away to survive, right? I did the exact same thing..."

"What's your name? Why does he call you a flea?"

"My name is Izaya Orihara; I inform people of things, so your father contacted me and had me look for you. So you could go home. I ran away from home as well, but just so you know, you're not exactly in a position where you can run away, Akane-chan," Izaya said cheerfully.

"...Flea...you're being an ass," Shizuo said.

"Your point being?" Izaya said cheerfully, which ticked Shizuo off more than anything.

"You bastard, she's a child, you should at least tell lies...no, never mind, forget it."

"Good, I'm glad you remembered," Izaya said darkly.


End file.
